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Creating a peaceful sleep environment for your little loved one can help make bedtime a breeze. The right night-light works like a charm to relax your child as they doze off and provides comfort when they wake up in the middle of the night.

While it’s not entirely necessary, a soothing night-light can be a fantastic addition to your child’s room or nursery. Let’s face it: The dark can be scary! And a night-light can provide your child with a sense of safety and comfort as they drift into dreamland.

Whether you’re looking to relax your child as they start to snooze, establish a bedtime routine, or alleviate fears of things that go bump in the night, there are plenty of night-lights available to do just that.

First decide what you want to use the night-light for. In addition to adding some light to your child’s nursery or bedroom, some night-lights also work for reading, diaper changes, or nighttime feedings. Some even have timers that help to develop a sleep schedule.

Consider details such as:

  • music and sounds
  • design
  • types of lightbulbs
  • color and brightness
  • alarm capabilities
  • projected images
  • timer
  • remote control
  • plug-in or battery operated

We researched the functions of the following products and read customer reviews to help you figure out the best choices in terms of price, function, and quality. Read on to find exactly what you’re looking for in a night-light — you may even end up with one in a room of your own!

Price guide

  • $ = under $15
  • $$ = $15–$40
  • $$$ = $40 and up

Best kid-friendly night-light

Boon Glo

Price: $$$

Fantastically funky, this Stanley Kubrick-esque night-light is a stylish addition to your child’s room. The Boon Glo uses LED lights that stay cool so you can keep it on all night long, and offers a variety of illuminating color options to match your kiddo’s room.

Perhaps the coolest feature is the removable balls that your child can carry to bed or use as a portable light when they go to the bathroom. The balls glow green for up to 30 minutes after they’re removed from the stand.

Buy the Boon Glo online.

Best night-light with remote

LumieWorld LumiPets

Price: $$

These adorable animal designs make a great nighttime companion for your child. Complete with eight soothing color options, this darling portable LED light stays cool to the touch and recharges using a USB port.

The animal-shaped design (take your pick of a bunny, unicorn, bear, and more) is made of nontoxic washable silicone that’s easy to clean. The included remote can adjust the colors, brightness, and a sleep timer.

Buy LumieWorld LumiPets online.

Best children’s lamp with night-light

Vava Baby Night Light

Price: $$

This highly-rated night-light sits perfectly on your child’s dresser or nightstand. Parents love that you can adjust the brightness with a tap, changing from white to yellow light. Kids enjoy decorating the lamp with the included facial expression stickers — talk about a win-win!

Designed with a handle, the easy portability of this LED night-light makes it easy to travel with. Plus, since it’s waterproof, you may even find yourself using it on a camping adventure.

Buy Vava Baby Night Light online.

Best night-light with music

Skip Hop Moonlight & Melodies Nightlight Soother Owl

Price: $$

Bring a sparkling night sky into your child’s room with this charming owl- shaped night-light projector. This plug-in lamp doubles as a sound machine, featuring four melodies and four nature sound options to ease your child into a deep sleep. Plus, it’s small and lightweight, making it easy to toss in a bag when you’re heading off for the weekend.

Buy Skip Hop Moonlight & Melodies Nightlight Soother Owl online.

Best night-light with timer

LittleHippo Mella

Price: $$$

This innovative light is designed to train your child to follow a sleep schedule. It uses facial expressions, colors, and an alarm to signal to your child when it’s time to go to sleep or start their day.

For example, the alarm clock glows yellow 30 minutes before your child needs to wake up and changes to green when it’s time to get up. One parent raves that her daughter reads a book in bed when the yellow light turns on and waits until it turns green to get out of bed.

Buy the LittleHippo Mella online.

Best night-light with projections

Luckkid Star Projector Lamp

Price: $$

It’s a starry night every night with this projector lamp, which features different six lighting effects. It’s easy to adjust the brightness so it’s not too stimulating as your child winds down from action and comes with five film projection options (who knows, you may find yourself breaking it out during your next party for a disco feel). To use it as a night-light, simply place the included cover over the lamp.

Buy the Luckkid Star Projector Lamp online.

Best plug-in night-light

Projectables LED Plug-In Night Light

Price: $

This energy-efficient LED night-light is another option that projects images onto the wall, ceiling, or floor. The simple design uses a light sensor to automatically turn on at dusk and off at dawn. Many parents report that their children enjoy studying the planets with this light, but it also comes in Star Wars, Disney Princess, and Paw Patrol themes if that’s more of their thing.

Buy the Projectables LED Plug-In Night Light online.

Best budget-friendly night light

Munchkin Light My Way Nightlight

Price: $$ (two-pack)

This sweet little night light doubles as a cute nursery decoration. It uses LED lightbulbs so the light stays cool to the touch and is battery-operated so you don’t have to deal with cords or charge it.

It also has a handle so your child can easily carry it with them as they navigate the hallway with its warm glow. Requiring only one button, it’s simple and easy to use. It automatically turns off after 20 minutes.

Buy Munchkin Light My Way Nightlight online.

Best plush night-light

Summer Slumber Buddies

Price: $$

Summer’s Slumber Buddies come in a variety of plush animals, but this plush Eddie the Elephant is as cute can be. You can set the elephant’s light to blue, green, or amber, or opt for a projected image, which illuminates the walls.

In addition to lighting up, this night-light plush toy features peaceful songs and nature sounds with three volume options. It’s a hit with parents and kids alike — one reviewer even shares that her daughter has used hers non-stop for 4 years!

Buy Summer Slumber Buddies online.

Best night-light with sound machine

Hatch Rest

Price: $$$

The Hatch Rest night-light includes a sound machine with several themes, and reviewers claim the sound quality is surprisingly good for such a small device. Parents say they love being able to adjust and control this sound machine from their phone or tablet (via Bluetooth). Plus it has an okay-to-wake clock so your tot will know when it’s time to rise and shine.

It’s worth noting: Like most apps, this product requires you to fork over a good deal of data about your baby and your routine when you set it up. If that sounds like TMI to share with your kid’s night-light, this is probably not the product for you.

Buy the Hatch Rest online.