Help me find the right bedside light?

February 19, 2013 5:25 PM

I'm looking for a light that is not very bright, to be used in a room with a sleeping husband. Something between a nightlight and a regular lamp.

It might be cool if it was arty-looking as well/had an arty looking shade, but classic looking would work too. Need to be able to see well enough to see a baby's face, where most nightlights just make it so you don't walk into a wall.

Extra credit for also finding one that will go in the nursery that would be of the type that rotates inside a circular shade with designs or scenes on it (tasteful, not gaudy, no music)... I know these exist but interweb searching is not fruitful.

posted by treehorn+bunny to home & garden (14 answers total)

These days, instead of a night light, I've been using this Ikea LED work lamp When I'm awake / reading, the light is perfect -- nice and bright. When I'm ready to go to sleep, I direct the light towards the wall, which gives me just enough ambient light to act as a sort of night light. Since it's not pointed directly at me, the lighting is diffused and doesn't keep me awake. Probably won't work in the nursery though as you envision it.
posted by HeyAllie at 5:44 PM on February 19

The Philips Wakeup Light has 20 brightness settings, from faintest-gleam to sunlight-bright.
posted by scody at 5:45 PM on February 19

You can get a dimmer/extension cord to make any lamp adjustable from full brightness to just brighter than night-light level. I love these because you can plug any style lamp into them.

Magic Lamp is what I've heard of for the spinny baby lamps... though it seems like their designs aren't as cute as I remember. Harmony Lantern has them too.
posted by xo at 5:49 PM on February 19 [1 favorite]

I like my little Tiffany style bedside lamp with a lower wattage bulb. I got it at Lowes, I think, for about $50, but this was some time back.
posted by bearwife at 5:51 PM on February 19

There's a version of that IKEA lamp with a clip to attach to a bedframe - comes in multiple colors. We have two and find either of us can read without waking each other.
posted by leslies at 6:33 PM on February 19

If you already have a bedside lamp that you like, these pink light bulbs are awesome. They provide a very soft glow that isn't as blinding or as bright as regular light bulbs.
posted by barnone at 6:35 PM on February 19 [3 favorites]

I just bought a himalayan salt lamp for both my & partners bedroom & another our babies bedroom. It provides a beautiful warm glow and enough light to walk to the bathroom and back down the hall. You can get different sizes too so a smaller will provide less light than larger sizes. I can also feel / smell the different in the air and my partner is sleeping better from it (he has sleep apnoea).
posted by Under the Sea at 6:35 PM on February 19 [1 favorite]

And I looooove my Noguchi paper light. If you don't want to spend as much (especially with a new baby in close proximity), there are millions of other paper lamps available from Ikea and beyond. They emit a really soft amber glow.
posted by barnone at 6:41 PM on February 19

You can buy 15 watt light bulbs that fit a regular lamp. They aren't bright enough to read by, but you can see the words on the page if you squint. I assume you could see a baby's face.
posted by OrangeDisk at 7:24 PM on February 19

I use a red fluorescent bulb in my infant daughter's room, and have put one in my bedroom as well. I love it because it is bright enough to see everything (with the exception of some colors), but still helps to preserve night vision. I even read using the lamp now and then.

However: my wife hates it, so your results may vary.
posted by 1367 at 7:46 PM on February 19

This might be a bit out of the box, but if you had some sort of reading device, a kindle, an ipad, something that would both allow you to both read in the dark and could provide enough light to see a baby?

I've used my iphone as an alarm for years, and I was always surprised just how bright it gets if you simply point the lit screen straight up. You get a little wall bounce, a little ceiling bounce, plenty for me to stagger to the bathroom for a late night pee. You can also vary the brightness at will.

I can't shake the feeling that I'm offering a $300 solution to a $15 problem, maybe I just love reading on my tablet at night just a little too much. I hope this helps.
posted by Sphinx at 11:02 PM on February 19

IKEA has those star-shaped wall lamps that glow blue and I believe that you can touch them on/off. Have you thought of maybe incorporating fairy lights into your room design?

I had some success finding the lamps you're describing for baby's room when I searched for 'rotating nursery lamps'.

Good luck in your quest, Doc.
posted by empatterson at 2:26 AM on February 20

What worked best for me was a cheap tap-light stuck to my headboard. It was enough light to get the baby latched on, but not enough to be "aigh a light!"
posted by KathrynT at 5:06 PM on February 20

This was a gift to my son from his godmother (mostly because it looks just like our actual dog), and it's the perfect amount of light - not too bright to disrupt our sleep, but enough for nursing and middle of the night diaper changes. It's expensive, and had to be rewired for the US, so I'm not actually recommending it to you specifically, but if you can find something similar you might be in luck.
posted by judith at 9:20 PM on February 20