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Creating a peaceful sleep environment and building a good sleep routine is vital for raising happy and healthy kids. If you’re struggling to get your baby or toddler to sleep, a nightlight is a great way to start building a more consistent bedtime routine, creating a calm and safe environment for sleep.
There are plenty of nightlights to choose from with different features that can help address different sleep concerns. Night light projectors that display mesmerising patterns or themes all over the room are great for calming hyperactivity and restless kids. Or there are cute functional devices that play sounds or music that can aid babies or toddlers who struggle with nightmares, night terrors, or fear the dark.
Nightlights also provide parents with a convenient and disturbance free way to visit the nursery at night without having to turn all the lights on, ideal for those late night feeding or pumping sessions or a middle-of-the-night diaper change.
Lights equipped with multiple sound features including white noise, lullabies, and/or music are great aids for babies that suffer from colic at feeding time, separation anxiety, or restlessness at night.
Whether you are looking for a nightlight with multiple features, the best one for newborns, or a buddy companion to minimise parent intervention, we have you covered. This guide will take you through our top picks for the best nightlights currently on the market in Australia.
1. Yissvic Baby Night Light
The best night light on the market
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Our pick for the best night light for babies and toddlers has to be the Yissvic Baby Night Light for its unique and very cute chick in egg design and easy to use touch control system. This safe LED light doubles as a buddy companion for your baby or toddler, instilling calm and comfort during the night.
As this is a touch activated light, a tap of the fingers will turn the light on and off and also adjust the brightness. It needs 4 hours to fully charge via a USB cable and the great thing about this light is that you won’t have to charge it frequently as it has up to 300 hours of battery life (using the lowest light setting).
Keep in mind, overcharging or using a fast charger may affect the longevity of the battery life. This seems to be the only negative claim made on the product which is easily avoidable.
The Yissvic Baby Night Light is suitable for late night breastfeeding and diaper changes and won’t disturb the rest of the household because of its discreet lighting.
Made from eco-friendly, BPA- free, soft silicone, it has been cleverly designed with a handy and playful tumbler feature, allowing the light to swing back and forward without falling over and is ideal for your little toddler to handle and play with it themselves.
2. Oricom Harry the Hippo
A new soothing night light buddy from Oricom
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One the best night lights for newborns and young toddlers is the new companion from Oricom, Harry the Hippo, who helps create a calm and relaxing environment for your little one, cycling through all the colours of the rainbow and emitting a soft glow throughout the night.
Designed lightweight, compact, and rechargeable, you can take Harry anywhere you and your bub go, whether it to grandparents’ house or family getaways, he will only take up minimal space. Most suitable for newborns and toddlers up to 2 years.
Harry the Hippo is the perfect size you can fit anywhere in the nursery, whether that’s on a bookshelf or bedside table, his non-slip base will hold him in place. We love the warm glow this LED night light emits with the gradual colour changing mode for seamless flow and mesmerizing transitions.
Unfortunately, this nightlight does not come with any audio or sound options, which seems to be the only drawback. However, reviewers praise Harry for his effectiveness in getting little ones off to sleep, minimising middle-of-the-night disturbances.
Aesthetically, Harry makes a beautiful addition to any nursery. But this nightlight not only looks cute and fitting but is super easy to use with just a tap of your fingers. Harry the Hippo is touch activated, by tapping anywhere on his surface you can adjust the colour, brightness, and colour cycle.
This night light is encased in a non-toxic removable silicone cover which is super easy to clean with a damp cloth, ideal for removing dust or sticky mess. Just make sure the unit is completely dry before turning it on again. USB charger is included and delivers a full charge of up to 20 hours battery life (plug in for 2-3 hours for a full charge).
Best For Feeding Baby
3. Fidi Tek Night Light
Practical night light with LED colours
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The best nightlight for nursing a newborn is the Fidi Tek for its exceptional 360 degree touch panel which creates a warm glow in your nursery for clear visibility at night, while protecting sensitive eyes.
This cylindrical shape, lightweight lamp has 3 levels of brightness and various colour options to suit different preferences. It has an easy-to-use touch activation system to turn on and off and for controlling the light modes.
This lamp is highly practical for both indoor or outdoor use, since it is energy efficient and charges through a USB adapter. It comes with a portable hook for better portability, ideal for moving in and out of the house.
It weighs only 165 g, which makes it one of the lightest on the market and at a reasonable price. The colour options tend to change the whole mood of the room and make it a truly comfortable place to reside. This is a remarkable night light with various options that can benefit the whole family.
4. Skip Hop Dream and Shine Sleep Trainer
A versatile 4-in-1 kids night light: sleep trainer, soother, nightlight, and alarm
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The best night light for kids and for aiding a good sleep routine is the Skip Hop Dream and Shine Sleep trainer, which lights up with easy-to-follow colour cues that your toddler can match with the different stages in their sleep routine. Red light means bedtime, yellow means it’s almost time to wake up, and green gives the all clear to hop out of bed. This is a great way to encourage better sleeping habits in restless toddlers, most suitable for ages 2-6 years.
Although it was designed as a 4-in-1 sleep trainer, soother, nightlight, and alarm we believe this product is most practical when used as a naptime soother and sleep trainer. This light is great for aiding and encouraging a better sleep routine, better suited for confident sleepers that only need some light guidance.
Some reviewers have found the automatic off/power saving feature which activates after 20 minutes of use, disappointing and disruptive to their child's sleep and don’t consider this suitable for anxious and restless sleepers who rely on it all through the night.
It can get a little fiddly when setting it up and customising the features, however there is a digital display and 4 buttons located in the base of the nightlight to help guide you, and the sun also acts as a button which cycles through different mode, light, and sound settings.
The great thing about the Skip Hop Dream and Shine is that it is powered by a USB adapter or 4 AA batteries, making this a great compact and portable unit you can take on-the-go, easy to pop in the car or pram.
Best For Kids
5. Mokoqi Star projector
Sleep under the moon and stars with this mesmerizing night light
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The best night light projector for older toddlers and restless sleepers is the Mokoqi star projector for its mesmerising display and entrancing patterns, great for calming busy little minds at the end of a long day. This makes an excellent birthday or Christmas gift, and can even double as a novelty light at parties and sleepovers.
The Mokoqi Projector LED light is powered by a USB cable adapter or 4 AAA batteries, designed portable and compact, ideal for taking to sleepovers and on family getaways. This unit has been said to make a little humming/buzzing sound when the spin feature is in use. But, luckily this doesn’t seem to hinder the magical experience and the light has a handy timer that can be set between 5-99 minutes, so it doesn’t have to run all night.
This isn’t a premium brand nightlight, but it delivers in versatility and functionality and has been frequently praised for how easy it is to set up and use. It is controlled with 4 simple buttons: A - timer, B - spin, C - colour (warm, blue, green, or red, or all colours on rotation), and D - night light mode, and can be used stationary in lamp mode or rotation mode for a moving light display.
Children with epilepsy may be triggered by the moving patterns and lights, so it is not recommended to use the rotation feature if that’s the case. However, it can still be used safely by utilising the lamp mode, nightlight mode and/or moon cover, emitting a steady warm glow.
6. Greenic LED Night Light
Multipurpose night light with automatic sensor
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The best energy saving night light is the Greenic LED, equipped with a special sensor which automatically turns the nightlight on at night and off at dawn, eliminating unnecessary or over use of the light. This is perfect for homes with poor lighting at night, especially for toddlers and kids who are afraid of the dark.
The cube-shaped Greenic LED light has been designed to be durable and safe, packed with 30,000 hours of life, without the need for batteries or bulb replacement. This light remains plugged into an electrical outlet, which means you can use it in any room in your house.
Although for some users, the light should be brighter, others find it works for their intended purpose. The light is bright enough for visibility during the night, without disturbing others sleeping.
The Greenic LED night light does take up some space on the wall outlet and may cover your entire power switch. To address this issue, you could get a double adapter to make more room for other electrical devices.
7. Mydethun Moon Lamp
3D technology night light for space lovers
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The Mydethun Moon Night Light is a very cute 3D-printed lamp which is meant to represent the real moon surface. It is made from eco-friendly 3D printing material, non-PLA plastic which is durable and renewable. This is an excellent innovative night light, which also makes a great gift for astronomy lovers.
A great feature of this lamp is that it has dual colour options (white and yellow) and the brightness can be easily adjusted through the convenient touch control. It has a rechargeable battery that can deliver up to 8-10 hours of use once fully charged.
It has been designed lightweight and comes with a wooden stand, which allows you to choose where you’d like to place it within your home or baby's room. The moon should be carefully placed on the stand, since it is not fixed on.
The Mydethun Moon Night Light is very convenient and easy to use and children with a passion for outer space will find it particularly interesting and comforting.
8. Fizzymart Night Light and Sound Machine
Portable night lamp with versatile music and light functions
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Among nursery night lights for newborns, you could consider the Fizzymart, due to its vast range of 9 colour presets, easy touch adjustment, and 28 soothing sound options. This little unit can be used in versatile ways, as a warm glow night light, a soother for colicky babies, and a comforting sound device for anxious or restless sleepers.
A timer can be set, or you can leave it on through the entire night so your baby can sleep comfortably without any disturbance. Just be sure the battery is fully charged if you plan to leave it on overnight.
We love the multitude of white noise options that this device offers, including sounds like wind, fire, ocean, lullaby, light rain and many more. To complement the soothing sounds, Fizzymart’s rainbow display of transitioning colours deliver a comforting and adjustable glow of light.
Equipped with a rechargeable battery and universal USB cable for ease and convenience, allowing you to take it on holidays and to grandparents’ house, also easy to pop in the car or pram.
9. Ledmomo Sleep Projection
Relaxing baby with a projector and music
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The Ledmomo Sleep Projection is a night light featuring a whimsical light display and music options to soothe and comfort your baby during the night. We love that this light has adjustable angles so you can set it up perfectly, the way it suits your baby best.
With 7 different light modes displaying colourful ocean patterns and 3 timer options, this projection light is versatile and customisable. You can even connect to your iPod, MP3, or laptop using the cable connector to play the music of your choice. It comes with a remote control for convenient and easy use and charges through a USB cable or port to your laptop or power outlet.
This is an innovative and highly decorative night lamp, which is great at aiding a better sleep routine for your baby or toddler, but it is also a great novelty lamp to entertain the kids at parties or sleepovers.
10. SlowTon Starry Night Light Projector
Kids night light and white noise machine with stars and sea projection modes
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The SlowTon Starry Night Light Projector displays a spectacular show of lights onto your walls and ceiling, creating a safe and comforting environment for your baby or toddler. It has two ceiling projection options, a starry sky or beautiful seabed.
There are 8 different colours to choose from, with the option to combine the colours as well. Although it seems that there is a lot going on with this light, it is actually best suited for hyperactive and restless toddlers, due to the entrancing nature of the projections that capture the attention and focus of their busy little minds.
With a 360 degree rotation, this projector fills the room with starlight. While some customers may be bothered by the slight noise this projector emits while the rotation setting is on, others actually enjoy and are comforted by the unintentional white noise produced.
Parents love to use this type of night light for babies, as it makes their baby feel secure and comforted, while activating their brains more effectively, engaging in colour, shape, and pattern recognition.
The projector conveniently charges two ways, either using a USB cord or 4 AAA batteries. This makes it a great portable device that only weighs 350g, perfect for taking away on holiday, using it at parties and sleepovers. This night light will surely be the envy of many kids.
How to choose a baby night light
It is easy to get overwhelmed by the vast range of nightlights available these days with a lot of products offering similar or competing features, making it hard to tell what one is best for you and your family.
A great place to start is asking yourself ‘what will this light be used for in my home?’ If you are looking for a light for when you visit the nursery at night for feeding or diaper changing, a light with adjustable brightness, a warm glow setting, and/or touch activation could be useful for visibility while minimising disturbances during the night.
For young children who struggle with sleep issues like restlessness, fear of the dark, or nightmares, you could consider a nightlight that offers sound or music options, projection imagery, or a light designed like a playful toy for comfort.
If you’re just looking for something to deliver a bit more visibility in your hallways at night for bathroom trips and midnight snacks, you can stick with a simpler model without additional features. Keep your eye out for lights with energy saving features, timers, and brightness adjustability.
If your child struggles to sleep outside of your home, when they stay at their grandparents or sleepover at a friend's house, a nightlight that is rechargeable and portable is great for versatile use.
Features to Consider
- Material. Depending on what type of material your nightlight is made from, it will usually be reflected in the price. Products made from higher-quality, safe, eco-friendly materials will generally cost a little more, but can be a worthwhile investment. Silicone is a great material which protects little hands from heat, is easy to clean, and provides a comforting tactile surface. If you’re going with a plastic product, choose ones made from BPA-free materials.
- Design and Portability. Nightlights designed lightweight, rechargeable, and portable provide you with a practical device you can take anywhere. This can be a useful feature to look out for if your child struggles with restlessness, anxiety, or if their sleep environment changes frequently (shared custody, staying with grandparents, sleepovers, babysitters), providing some form of consistency to their sleep routine.
- Battery and life. Traditionally nightlights were designed to plug straight into your power outlet, but nowadays there are other options including battery powered, rechargeable batteries, USB cable and power adapter, there are even lights that connect to other electrical devices like your laptop or phone. Keep your eye out for products that offer dual charging and power features which provide you with a portable option for convenience.
- Functionality. Some nursery night lights go beyond their primary function, transforming your childs room through themed projections, mood lighting, soothing sounds, white noise, or music. While other nightlights are designed as cute toys that look fitting in any nursery. These extra features may not be necessary for your specific purpose, but they can be helpful for some.