The best kids' night lights
A soft glow for night feeds, a light to keep the dark at bay, or a glowing egg to carry to the loo: five night lights for babies and young children, compared.
In a baby’s room, a night light is mostly for the grown-ups: enough light to feed and change a nappy without switching on the big light. As children get older it becomes a comfort in its own right, something to keep the dark at bay, carry to the loo or squeeze.
Four of these run on a rechargeable battery, and Tommee Tippee’s penguin charges its egg light on a plug-in base, so a light can go wherever it’s needed. The differences are in the detail: colours or just a warm glow, a timer that switches the light off, and how long a charge lasts. Check the ages too: the penguin’s egg is for holding from 18 months, and Nawchedo’s lion is for ages three and up.
What matters
- Power: a rechargeable light goes anywhere; a plug-in base never runs flat.
- Run time: full brightness drains a battery in hours; turned down, most last for days.
- A timer, so the light switches itself off after bedtime.
- The maker’s age: some are for toddlers and up, not newborns.
#1 of 5
Best overall
Tommee Tippee 2-in-1 Penguin Portable Night Light
£39.99 RRP
A soft penguin nursery light with a glowing silicone egg that comes off its back, charges on the base by day and lasts up to 10 hours in small hands. Tommee Tippee, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, dates back to 1965 and made its name with babies’ cups.
What owners say: Owners like the warm, gentle glow and the three brightness settings, and find it handy for night feeds and potty training.
Heads up: Tommee Tippee says to keep the penguin and its cable out of reach of children under 18 months; from then on, the egg can be handed over to carry.
A closer look: The penguin stays plugged in on a shelf or chest of drawers while the egg does the travelling: to the loo in the night, or beside the cot for a feed. A full charge takes about eight hours, so docking it each morning has it ready by bedtime. Water is off limits; a wipe with a lint-free cloth keeps it clean.
- Detachable egg light, up to 10 hours
- Dimmable base and egg
- Soft silicone egg
- Mains-powered USB base
- Nursery light from birth
Best for: From birth to toddler
- Power
- Mains base, rechargeable egg
- Run time on a charge
- Egg: up to 10 hours
- Colour-changing
- No
- Timer
- No
#2 of 5
Runner-up
Nawchedo Soft Silicone Lion Night Light
£10–£20 Price range
A squashy silicone lion that lights up with a tap: three levels of warm light for bedtime and seven colours for fun, from a 2000mAh battery that lasts more than 10 hours. However hard it’s squeezed, it springs back into shape.
What owners say: Owners say it’s a lovely addition to a child’s room, with a warm light that isn’t too bright, colours that change with a tap and long runs between charges.
A closer look: Nawchedo lists it for ages three and up, so it suits a preschooler’s bedroom more than a nursery. With no cable once it’s charged, it can go from the bedside to the bathroom for a night-time wee or into a bag for a sleepover, and Nawchedo suggests it as a camping light or torch too.
- Soft, BPA-free silicone
- Tap to change the light
- 3 warm brightness levels
- 7 colours
- 2000mAh rechargeable battery
Best for: Ages 3 and up
- Power
- Rechargeable (2000mAh)
- Run time on a charge
- Over 10 hours
- Colour-changing
- 7 colours
- Timer
- No
#3 of 5
Best for night feeds
MEDE Rechargeable Touch Night Light
£10–£20 Price range
Made with night feeds and nappy changes in mind: three warm brightness levels, a 1, 2 or 4-hour timer so it switches itself off, and it remembers the last setting, so one touch brings back the same glow. It can hang from a hook or a tent loop as well as stand.
What owners say: Owners say it works exactly as described, with colour options and three brightness levels dim enough for a sleeping baby, and a battery that lasts all night without a recharge.
A closer look: About an hour and a half on charge runs it for 12 to 15 hours at normal brightness, so topping it up during the day keeps it ready for the night. Holding the top for two seconds switches it on or off; quick touches then step through the brightness levels and colours.
- 3 warm brightness levels
- 5 colours plus a colour cycle
- 1, 2 or 4-hour timer
- Remembers the last setting
- 1200mAh battery, USB-C cable included
Best for: Night feeds and changes
- Power
- Rechargeable (1200mAh)
- Run time on a charge
- 12–15 hours; 100 on lowest
- Colour-changing
- 5 colours + cycle
- Timer
- 1, 2 or 4 hours
#4 of 5
MediAcous Rechargeable Egg Night Light
£20–£30 Price range
An egg-shaped light with stepless dimming, so the glow can be turned right down for a feed in the small hours, and a 1-hour timer that switches it off once everyone’s back asleep.
What owners say: Owners find it just right for night feeds, dim enough in the small hours, and like the colour-changing mode.
Heads up: For the longest time between charges, keep it on the dimmer settings: MediAcous gives about 5 hours at full brightness and up to 100 on the dimmest.
A closer look: All the controls are on the top: a double press turns it on or off, a long press dims it smoothly, and holding for a second and a half drops it into night-light mode. On standby a tiny light makes it easy to find in the dark, and it blinks red when the battery needs charging.
- Stepless dimming
- 7 colours plus warm light
- 1-hour auto-off timer
- 2000mAh rechargeable battery
- BPA-free ABS and PC
Best for: Dimming right down
- Power
- Rechargeable (2000mAh)
- Run time on a charge
- 5 hours bright, 100 dimmest
- Colour-changing
- 7 colours + warm
- Timer
- 1 hour
#5 of 5
Best budget
Suright YD820 Rechargeable Night Light
£10–£20 Price range
Two little switches underneath choose between warm white and colour and set a 30 or 60-minute timer, so the settings stay put once they’re right. A 2600mAh battery runs it for 9 to 100 hours, depending on the setting.
What owners say: Owners like the quality of the light, bright enough without dazzling, and having several colours to choose between.
A closer look: Brightness is set by touching the soft top, while the switches on the base look after the mode and the timer. Suright asks for it to be switched off while charging, which takes about two and a half hours over USB-C, and a phone charger with the same plug will do if the cable goes missing.
- Warm white with stepless dimming
- 7 colours, fixed or cycling
- 30 or 60-minute timer
- 2600mAh battery, USB-C
- Soft silicone and ABS
Best for: A timer for less
- Power
- Rechargeable (2600mAh)
- Run time on a charge
- 9–100 hours by setting
- Colour-changing
- 7 colours + warm
- Timer
- 30 or 60 minutes
How they compare
| Feature | #1Tommee Tippee penguin | #2Nawchedo lion | #3MEDE touch light | #4MediAcous egg | #5Suright YD820 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Runner-up | Best for night feeds | Best budget | ||
| Picked Rating | 9.3 | 9.0 | 8.9 | 8.7 | 8.6 |
| Price | £39.99 RRP | £10–£20 Price range | £10–£20 Price range | £20–£30 Price range | £10–£20 Price range |
| Power | Mains base, rechargeable egg | Rechargeable (2000mAh) | Rechargeable (1200mAh) | Rechargeable (2000mAh) | Rechargeable (2600mAh) |
| Run time on a charge | Egg: up to 10 hours | Over 10 hours | 12–15 hours; 100 on lowest | 5 hours bright, 100 dimmest | 9–100 hours by setting |
| Colour-changing | No | 7 colours | 5 colours + cycle | 7 colours + warm | 7 colours + warm |
| Timer | No | No | 1, 2 or 4 hours | 1 hour | 30 or 60 minutes |
| Best for | From birth to toddler | Ages 3 and up | Night feeds and changes | Dimming right down | A timer for less |
| Check price | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
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