For newborns, you wake up in the middle of the night. You have to strike a balance between hitting walls in the dark (which you will do anyway) and overstimulating your baby (and yourself) with bright, harsh lights.
Research tells us that white and blue light wavelengths have the greatest inhibitory effect on melatonin (the sleep hormone), which is the opposite of what you want at night. Longer wavelengths of light, such as amber light, are the least disturbing to sleep. However, many night light manufacturers use blue light.
I prefer the night “light”, which is a cordless rechargeable light that you can take with you wherever you go. Here are the best options at different price points:
Munchkin Light My Way Baby Night Light ~$12
It’s the perfect night light for toddlers or moms who want to breastfeed and change diapers in the middle of the night. We love this night light because it turns off after 20 minutes (if you pass out before turning it off) and it’s cool to the touch. (It’s battery-powered.)
LumiPets Portable Baby Night Light ~$24
Another favorite is the LumiPets night light. Yes, this thing is designed for the little ones, but is perfect for parents as a breastfeeding/night light. You can choose from 9 different colors (including red, yay!) and more than a dozen animals/patterns. This soft/supple silicone night light also has different brightness levels, can be turned on/off with a tap (which is optional), has a long-lasting rechargeable battery, and has different auto-off options.
Yoga Sleep Duo ~$41
Compared to Hatch Baby Rest (see below), Yogasleep’s (formerly known as Marpac)’s Duet goes a step further – it’s a machine that combines night lights and white noise, and also has a wireless speaker feature (in my opinion, it’s a no-frills but not super useful feature – the quality is a bit poor). It glows just the right amount of warmth and has an impressive array of noise offerings (30 in total, some white and pink noises and some *not actually annoying/less harsh-sounding songs/sounds). It’s a 4.5-inch-tall night light that’s sleek and unobtrusive and doesn’t scream “baby.”
Hatch Baby Rest ~$69
It combines a night light, a sound and a wake-up indicator all in one – hat trick!—which is controlled from your smartphone. We love it. The new version – Hatch Baby Rest+ (about $89) – also comes with an audio monitor…… It is a true multitasker.
Casper Glowing Lamp ~$129— Upgraded/Deluxe Collection
The Glow is placed on the wireless charging base, and when you flip it, it turns on and off. You can control the brightness of the glow by rotating the light – rotate it clockwise to make it brighter, and rotate it counterclockwise to dim it. It has an auto-dimmer (set for about 45 minutes) and uses only warm light (no blue light that is harmful to sleep).
It also has a wake-on-light feature that can replace your alarm clock. Compared to any annoying sounds you set on your phone’s alarm clock, Glow wakes you up more gently in the morning with a warm light than any annoying sound you set on your phone’s alarm clock.
You can operate Glow through the app, but we think it’s easier to control the lights (you know, manually, for example) using just the device itself.
Yes, it’s too expensive, but it’s a great option if you want to splurge in the sleep health sector. In any case, you will definitely use it for longer than the more standard baby night light.