A child's bedroom is a playroom by day, a homework desk after school and, above all, the place where they need to fall asleep. One ceiling light cannot do all three. And unlike any other room, the lighting here has to be safe for small hands and curious fingers.
Here is how to light a kids' bedroom so it is bright for play, calm at bedtime and safe all the time, from nursery to teenager.
On this page
- Safety first: five rules
- Three layers for three jobs
- The bedtime light
- By age: nursery to teenager
- Colour, fun and personality
- In short
- Common questions
Safety first: five rules
- No trailing cables. A cable from a bedside lamp to a socket is the main lighting hazard in a child's room. Run cables behind furniture, choose wall lights, or use a cordless lamp.
- Nothing hot within reach. LED bulbs run far cooler than old incandescent bulbs, which is one more reason to use LED throughout.
- Stable or fixed. A lamp a toddler can pull over will be pulled over. For small children, fix light to the wall or ceiling, or choose a lamp with a heavy, wide base.
- Shatter-resistant materials low down. Within reach of young children, acrylic or plastic shades are safer than glass. Save glass for the ceiling, high on the wall or an older child's room.
- A qualified electrician for anything wired in, as in any other room.
Three layers for three jobs
| Job | Light | Colour | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Play and tidying | A ceiling light or pendant | Warm to neutral white, 2700 to 4000K | Centre of the room |
| Homework and reading | A desk lamp or a wall light over the bed | Neutral white for the desk, 3000 to 4000K | On the desk, beside the bed |
| Bedtime and night | A dim, warm lamp or night light | Warm white, 2700K or warmer | Bedside, low down |
Our guide to colour temperature, room by room explains what each number looks like, and our guide to lumens how bright each layer should be.
The ceiling light
A pendant can be the fun piece in the room. The Creative Colourful Pendant is a 23cm rounded dome in seven colours, from red and green to blue and pink, on a 180cm cord, so it can be shortened to suit the ceiling. Hung out of reach, it is safe at any age. Our guide to how high a pendant should hang gives the drop.
The homework light
From the age of starting school, a desk needs its own lamp, aimed at the page and placed on the opposite side to the writing hand so the hand does not shadow the work. An adjustable head matters more than looks: the LED Desk Lamp and the Eye-Care Desk Lamp both aim exactly. See our guide to desk lighting for heights.
The bedtime light
This is the most important light in the room. Most sleep advice suggests dimming the lights and keeping them warm in the hour before bed, and a child's room is where that matters most.
- Warm and dim. A lamp that dims down low and stays on 2700K or warmer.
- Low down. A bedside lamp or a wall light below eye level, not the ceiling light.
- Easy to switch. A touch lamp a child can tap, or a remote control for parents.
Cordless touch lamps are ideal here, because they solve the cable problem and the switching problem at once. The Rechargeable Touch Lamp has an ABS plastic shade, a non-slip base and stepless dimming down to 10%; the Rechargeable Mushroom Lamp, with an acrylic shade, switches between three tones with a touch. Keep both on their warmest setting at night. Our guide to rechargeable lamps covers charging and care, and keep the charging cable out of reach.
For a light that never moves, a small wall light by the bed does the same job with nothing on the bedside table at all.
By age: nursery to teenager
Nursery and toddler
- A soft ceiling light on a dimmer, for night feeds without waking anyone fully.
- A warm night light out of reach, or a cordless lamp on a high shelf.
- No lamps on low tables, no cables at floor level.
Young children
- A colourful ceiling pendant or wall lights, out of reach.
- A touch lamp they can switch on themselves, which helps with fear of the dark.
- Acrylic or plastic shades anywhere they can reach.
School age
- Add a proper desk lamp for homework.
- A reading light by the bed: a wall light or a bedside lamp. Our guide to wall light heights gives the measurement for beside a bed.
Teenagers
- Let them choose. Teenagers care about how their room looks, and lighting is the cheapest way to change it.
- Layers rather than one bright light: a pendant, a desk lamp, a bedside lamp and something for mood.
- Glass and more grown-up designs are fine now. Our bedroom lighting has plenty.
Colour, fun and personality
A kids' room is the one place where a light can simply be cheerful.
- Coloured wall lights. The Macaron Wall Light is an acrylic ball of 8 or 10cm on a matching backplate, in green, beige, black, pink or red, with a choice of warm or cool white light; choose warm for a bedroom. The Colourful Double Capsule Wall Light, 25.5cm tall, mixes two colours of glass capsule, and can be grouped along a wall for a rainbow effect, mounted high, out of reach.
- Coloured lamps. The Macaron Glass USB Lamp, 28cm, in orange, white, cream or pink glass, suits an older child's bedside or a shelf.
- Colour from the bulb. If you want coloured light for play, keep it for a lamp or a wall light, and switch back to warm white before bed. Our battery-operated wall light offers colours from a remote control, with no wiring.
In short
- No trailing cables, nothing hot, nothing that tips.
- Acrylic or plastic within reach of small children; glass up high.
- Three layers: ceiling for play, desk lamp for homework, warm dim lamp for bedtime.
- Bedtime light: 2700K or warmer, dimmable, low down.
- Touch and cordless lamps suit children well; keep the charger out of reach.
- Let colour come from the fittings, and keep the light itself warm at night.
Common questions
What is the best light for a child's bedroom ?
Three lights rather than one: a ceiling light or pendant for play, a desk lamp for homework, and a warm, dimmable bedside lamp or wall light for bedtime.
What colour light is best for a child to sleep ?
Warm white, 2700K or warmer, kept dim in the hour before bed. Avoid bright, cool white light at bedtime.
Are rechargeable lamps safe for kids ?
They remove the trailing cable, the main risk of a bedside lamp. Choose one with a stable base and a plastic or acrylic shade, keep the charging cable out of reach, and charge it where you can see it.
Should a child have a night light ?
Many children sleep better with a little light, especially if they are afraid of the dark. Choose the dimmest, warmest light that reassures them, placed low and out of their direct line of sight.
Is a glass lamp safe in a child's room ?
For older children, yes. For toddlers and young children, keep glass on the ceiling or high on the wall, and choose acrylic or plastic for anything within reach.
How high should a pendant be in a kids' room ?
High enough that no one can reach it, even standing on the bed: in practice, at least 210cm from the floor in the middle of the room. Our guide to pendant heights covers the details.
Still unsure ?
Tell us your child's age and the size of the room at contact@thelightheritage.com and we will suggest a safe, simple plan. We answer every message ourselves.
Browse bedroom lighting, rechargeable and cordless lights, wall lights and table lamps. For the grown-ups' room, see our guide to lighting a bedroom.
