Top tips for lighting to make your child’s bedroom perfect

What lighting do you need in a children’s bedroom? Here are 7 top tips from an experienced mother…

Getting the lamps, pendants and general lighting scheme right in a nursery or child’s bedroom isn’t easy. Their sleeping habits can change as quickly as their favourite colours or animals. Some tips for lighting may be key to keeping these habits in check.

My daughter was a very light sleeper throughout her toddler years, when the merest crack of light would stop her from dropping off.  Then one night she suddenly decided she was afraid of the dark and we had to change her lighting scheme from ‘bottom of a well’ to ‘pub at last orders’.

But just as we thought we’d finally found the perfect lighting combination for her, she learned to read and became a bookworm. Like Roald Dahl’s Matilda, her favourite pastime is reading – but the problem is that she’ll do it long after we’ve put her to bed. (We used to love eavesdropping on her reading stories aloud to her toys, but these days she’s on chapter books…. Her eyes, her poor little eyes! Let that be a lesson to us in feeling smug).

Anyway, here are some tips we’ve learned about lighting a child’s bedroom:
 

1) Have lots of lighting options

As we know from experience, children can be bookworms, or horribly early risers, or afraid of the dark, or all of the above, and they can change literally overnight. So having a flexible scheme and lots of options is sensible…

2) Overhead lampshades add character and warmth

Our daughter has an overhead light with a paper lantern which adds warmth to her room. If you want your child to have something brighter, I’d go with the Horton the Elephant pendant light. Not only is it functional, but it’s adorable and will add infinite cheer.

3) Use bedside lights to help kids get to sleep

Once playtime is over we turn off the main light and let her read and then hopefully drop off with a bedside lamp. (We love the Ellie Elephant lamp – yeah, we’re elephant people –  which is a darling design in cream, grey, or mint green.)

To ensure our daughter actually gets some sleep, we turn off her bedside light after an hour. Mind you, nothing can stop a determined bookworm. She always keeps a sneaky cheeky torch handy. I can hear when she’s using it too as it’s a hand-driven one and if she wants light from it, she has to squeeze it. I like this because it’s more than just a flashlight; it’s also a science lesson about energy conversions. No one’s ever too young to learn about kinetic energy turning into electrical energy. Am I right?

4) Use a desk light for tasks

On her desk, she a directional light. This helps her with homework and art projects on dark grey days. A girl has got to see what she is colouring – as do boys of course. Try something like the Drake Desk Lamp in light blue.

 

5) Be creative with lights to beat fear of the dark.

These days my daughter is not normally scared of the dark, but sometimes she does still feel vulnerable, like after she’s seen or read something that leaves her feeling a tad frightened. For reassurance, we keep a few nightlights around, but they can’t be too bright. Bright lights disrupt our circadian rhythms and can reset our body clocks.

This is why I love LED nightlights.  They emit just enough light so a child doesn’t feel alone but can still fall asleep with no problem. We’ve had both owl and rabbit lights that my daughter loved and there are plenty of styles to choose from online.  

Shadow lanterns are also really good. I had one when I was young. I remember being lulled to sleep, almost transfixed, by the swirling images that spun around the shade. It was comforting and hypnotic.

6) Bring in the galaxies

Illuminating a room with a constellation of glow-in-the-dark star stickers is another fun idea. We set aside a space on a single wall for these. To make them brighter or extend their life, shine a bright light on them and they’ll recharge – it’s a bit like clapping for Tinkerbell. These glow in the dark bulb stickers are also lovely.

7) Darkness is important too

Most importantly, don’t forget the importance of darkness even where there is light. At the time of writing British summer is upon us (maybe not today but rumour has it that it will be returning soon.) So light your child’s room well, but don’t forget the blackout blinds or curtains. Otherwise, like little roosters they will wake with the dawn… and so will you!
 

By Misti Traya

 

At The Children’s Furniture Company we think kids’ furniture and accessories should be practical but with a sprinkle of magic too. Browse our range of children’s bedroom lighting here.