Get Different Lights for Different Baby Moments

By Kim Proulx

With so many lighting designs and styles, you can find the perfect accent or ambient lighting to make any nursery theme look fabulous! Nothing can create a soothing space more than strategically placed lighting in your little one's room. The right illumination at the right time can help the whole family function much more smoothly during those late night feedings and awake times.

Nursery lighting needs should be well planned when designing your new baby's nursery. The three basic categories to consider are ambient lighting, nighttime task lighting, and night-lights for baby. When deciding what furniture to get and where it will go in the nursery, it's a good idea to keep a list of what kind of lighting placement you want. Below, are some great lighting choices to create the perfect nursery ambiance.

Ambient Lighting

Ambient lighting is the main source of light in a given room. Many people use overhead lights that are flush to the ceiling. You might want to reconsider this because your little one will be lying on his back and lighting placed directly overhead can be bright and shocking to a newborn's senses. Ambient lights can come from many sources. When talking about nurseries, you want to choose lights that will brighten the whole room without being too harsh. You can create this effect with several lamps strategically placed around the room to give it complete illumination, or hang a chandelier with enough light wattage to give off the perfect light. Chandeliers work great when a dimmer switch is installed with them. This way you can choose how bright you want the overhead light to be. A Chandelier will also add a touch of class to the space.

If you've found accent lamps and a floor lamp that look perfect with the nursery decor, you can place several of them around the room to give the ambient lighting you need. Lamps are great lighting sources because you can place them as high or low as you need and adjust the wattage to suit your needs. The only warning about lamps is to always use cord covers so your child can't pull the lamp on top of him when he hits the crawling stage.

Nighttime Task Lighting

Walking around the nursery while half-asleep in the middle of the night can be a challenge! You don't want it to be so dark you can't see, but you also don't want the lighting to be bright enough that you wake and over stimulate your baby either. When your newborn wakes for a feeding, diaper change or just because he's lonely, creating too much light in the room can trick his mind into thinking it's day time. He is still adjusting to day and night and his metabolism is like a clock that needs to be adjusted to the right time. Small table lamps or sconces with dimmers, placed away from the crib, are a great choice. You can get a lamp that has several light bulb settings that even lights up at the base. Frosted lamps are another good alternative as they give a soft illumination through sturdy and safe plastic or ceramic shades.

Baby Night Lights

New mommies and daddies love to check in on their new bundles of joy quite a bit when they first come home. Having a light that gives off just enough light is perfect for you to tip toe in, see him, and quietly tip toe out. Regular wall plug in night-lights can work, but they are very limited on where you can place them and they only light up a small amount of space. Placing a low watt or dark color, fun shaped, small lamp on a surface just far enough away not to shine directly on the crib, will provide the ideal solution. These lamps, with delightful shapes and interesting shadows, are also great for your baby to gaze at when he's awake. Nursery lighting, no matter the wattage or size of light, is designed to meet all national safety standards and last a lifetime.

Recommended Products:

Lite Source Red Viko Table Lamp