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15 best nightlights

Nightlights have moved on since Wee Willie Winkie ran through the streets in his nightgown carrying a chamberstick candleholder. These days, there’s a nightlight out there to suit every sleep-time scenario. From a soothing glow to see off monsters beneath the bed to something functional for bedtime reading, here’s our pick of the best nightlights.

You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.

Olala Trio Set Night Lights – Léo/Léni/Lila: £49.99, Kidly​

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Oh, this is clever. This trio of adorable LED bunny nightlights is perfect for lighting the way from your child’s bedroom to the bathroom at night. We placed ours on the stairs and they look magical in the dark. There are no wires or batteries to worry about – just pop them on the charging base in the morning. They don’t get hot so they’re safe for little ones to pick up and carry around.

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Book light: £21.99, The Fowndry​

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This looks and feels just like a real book, but flip open the cover and it’s a colourful mood light that changes colour every time you open it. Hidden magnets join the covers back to back, so you can opt for the full 360 degrees of light. The perfect nightlight for those ‘just one more page’ people. Best of all, it’s battery-operated so you can take it with you wherever you might take your book!

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Mini Cloud Light: £12.95, A Little Lovely Company

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This mini cloud light is eco-friendly, child safe and it’s made from BPA- and phthalate-free PVC. The LED light gives a soft, soothing glow when you switch it on, and it’s safe for little ones to touch as it doesn’t get hot. Switch the timer on and it’ll turn off automatically after 15 minutes – the perfect companion for toddler bedtime.

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Little Llama Night Light: £13, Sass & Belle

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There comes a point when kids still need a little something to chase away the shadows after dark, but don’t want cutesy nightlights making their rooms look too babyish. This llama light is just the ticket. And it switches off automatically after 15 minutes, so there can be no arguments about when it’s time for lights off.

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Lumie Bed Bug: £59.95, lumie.com

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We all know blue light at bedtime is best avoided and now there’s a nightlight for kids designed to avoid stimulation during the bedtime routine. This cute bed bug emits white light with very low levels of blue, and helps mark the transition to nighttime with a slowly fading light that mimics the colours of a real sunset.

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Summer Infant Slumber Buddies: £24.99, Mothercare​​

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Suitable for use from birth, this cuddly night light plays five relaxing songs and nature sounds to help soothe little ones to sleep. There are three auto shut-off options (15, 30 and 45 minutes) so you don’t have to creep back into your baby’s room to turn it off. It’s got cry activation technology so it automatically switches back on if your baby stirs. It also projects a mesmeric starry sky light display onto the ceiling and walls sounds.

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Dinosaur projector and nightlight: £TBC, Brainstorm

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We weren’t sure this really qualified as a night light at first – it projects metre-wide colour images of dinosaurs onto the walls and ceiling, which doesn’t exactly seem conducive to sleep. But our pre-teen tester was totally taken with it, and it even eliminated strops at bedtime. There’s a separate night light too, so it definitely qualifies. We’re pretty sure he managed to use it for reading under the covers long after lights out.

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Percy the Penguin Light and Sound Sleep Aid: £34.99, Gro Store

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Who doesn’t love the thought of cuddling a cute penguin at bedtime? Percy’s actually much bigger than we expected him to be (so we think he’s brilliant value for money) and we love his glowing tummy (which shines for 30 minutes) and soothing sounds – you can choose from heartbeat, rainfall, static white noise or Brahms lullaby. He has built-in cry sensor technology, too. We wish they did one for adults.

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Aloka SleepyLights: £29.99, Cheeky Rascal

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This colour-changing dimmable LED comes with a remote control, so it’s the perfect bedtime reading light for our pre-teen tester who sleeps in a cabin bed – the nearest plug or light switch is a long way down! There’s a rainbow function which cycles through all 12 colour options, a side lamp setting that’s ideal for reading, a sleep setting which adjusts the brightness when it’s time for lights out, and even a sleep setting which fades and then switches off after an hour.

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Banana Night Light: £12.99, Find Me A Gift

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This light-up banana made us laugh out loud but, strangely, it’s the only nightlight that no-one else in the household wanted to claim as their own. According to the product description, it’s the perfect nightlight to ‘hold aloft like a flaming torch as you go in search of the toilet’ at night. Frankly, anything that makes mid-life nocturnal trips to the bathroom amusing is a winner in my book. And it’s a bargain!

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Infantino Soothing Light and Projector, £19.99, Amazon

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You can’t beat a crib-mounted nightlight for soothing tiny sleepyheads. This plays six musical tunes and three natural noises, and converts to a table-top light projector when your baby outgrows the crib. It switches off automatically after ten minutes and the sound of your baby stirring activates a gentle blue light.

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Babymoov Squeezy Night Light: £24.95, Natural Baby Shower

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This is like the stress ball of nightlights – you just give it a satisfying squeeze to turn it on or adjust the brightness – so it’s perfect if you’re tackling tricky bedtimes. It switches off after 30 minutes, thanks to the built-in timer, and it recharges using a micro USB cable. It’s made from soft silicone and we think it’s perfect for popping in an overnight bag or taking on a sleepover.

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Litecup: £9.99, Hippychick​​

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Well, this is ingenious. It’s a non-spill cup with an integrated nightlight. Yeah, we thought the same thing at first: clever but no big deal. Then we got our hands on one and now we’re eating our words. Wow! It emits a gentle, soothing glow when the room gets dark but it’s light sensitive, so by morning it looks like any other spill-proof cup – and you don’t have to remember to switch it off! It makes our kids drink more water (always a battle in this house), puts an end to spilled nighttime drinks, and helps turn bedtime into a little moment of wonder. Our youngest even uses it as a torch to help her see her way to our room in the morning!

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London Underground Lightbox: £40, London Transport Museum Shop

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We can’t tell you very much about this because it was wrestled out of our hands by a London-born teenager the moment we unboxed it. It comes with 10 interchangeable station signs and can be freestanding or wall-mounted. It’s a TfL Official Licensed Product, exclusive to London Transport Museum, and every purchase supports the museum’s charitable work. He tells us it’s the best of all the nightlights he’s seen, and bright enough for bedtime reading. We’ll have to take his word for it.

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Laser Cosmos Star Projector: £94.99, Find Me A Gift

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This planetarium projector isn’t designed to be used every night so it’s one to crack out for big birthday sleepovers but if you’re looking for a nightlight with wow factor, this is it. Watch the stars in a clear night sky and witness a meteor shower – from the comfort of your own bed.

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The Verdict: Best nightlights

We love the Olala Boutique Trio Set Night Lights and think this would make a gorgeous yet practical gift for a new baby. The Lumie Bed Bug comes a close second for all-round nightlight brilliance (see what we did there?) but we’re not gonna lie… we’re still laughing at the banana light.