Tips for Choosing Lights for a Child's Room

Choosing the lights for a child's room can be a fun task and a great way for you and your child to bond. Children's lamps are available in a wide variety of styles which makes it easy to match the lighting in your child's room perfectly with their personality and with the other decor in the room. Children have different needs at different ages when it comes to lighting, so the lighting that works for your child today may not work for them in a few years. You can plan ahead and choose major lighting elements in the room that will grow with your child while sprinkling in age-appropriate lamps and more temporary lighting that can easily be changed out.

One of the first things you should consider when choosing lighting for your child's room is that main ambient lighting in the room. Typically this comes from a single lighting fixture in the center of the room. When children are young it is a good idea to put a dimmer switch on the light so you can adjust the level of light in the child's room depending upon the time of day. Dimming the lights is a great way to get your child to settle down. It can also be very handy if you have a baby or a young child where you need to be in and out of the room frequently during the night.

Along with the central ambient lighting in the room you may want to consider track lighting. Typically track lighting does not provide enough light to be used as the only light source in the room. However, it is a wonderful way to light the areas along the walls and provide directional task lighting. One of the great features about track lighting is that it can grow with your child. It can be used to light a changing table when your child is a baby and to provide light for activities or homework as your child grows older.

Many children are afraid of the dark so you may need to provide them with a night light. Try to plug the night light in on the opposite side of the room from your child so it still provides light but is not shining directly in their face.

Finally, finish lighting your child's room with decorative, playful lamps. Keep in mind that the lamp should reflect your child's tastes and personality and not your own. Try taking your child lamp shopping with you to pick out a special lamp for their room. Allowing your child to have some say in the lighting of their room will help to create a space that they love where their creativity can flourish. As your child grows and their tastes change you may need to replace the lamps to match their new style. Fortunately, lamps are inexpensive and often times you can even make a new shade for an existing lamp to update it.

The main things to remember when lighting a child's room is to plan ahead when it comes to the major lighting elements in the room and make them something that can grow with your child. Major lighting elements are typically more expensive to replace. For fun, scatter children's lamps around the room and use those to add character and charm.