Polliwogged || Detail || Make A Bedside Lamp Into A Nightlight

Easy dimmed lighting for nighttime tasks

Newborn babies do not have a good grasp of night vs. day, and one of the ways to get them to learn the difference is to "enforce" the laws of nature. Ideally, during the day the baby should nap somewhere with indirect natural light. Conversely, at night the baby should be encouraged to sleep (and inevitably awaken) in relative darkness.

But baby’s need for darkness often conflicts with the parental need to change diapers, avoid tripping on the dirty laundry, and figure out where the baby’s mouth is. In short, you need some kind of low-level lighting for nighttime tasks.

Please note: If you have an incandescent (traditional filament), or torchiere-style bulb on your nightstand light, please do not do this, as you will create a fire hazard. Those bulbs get really hot, and you should never place anything near them. With that in mind, with a CFL or other fluorescent bulb, I’d advise one of these stylish and fun solutions to making a bedside lamp into a dimmed light for switching on and off while you are in the room performing necessary tasks and don't want to overly "wake" your baby.

Place an old woven straw cowboy hat over the lampshade, allowing the tiny slits between the hat to let out little bits of light
Using wooden clothespins to safely affix the edges, artfully arrange a red or orange bandanna over the pre-existing lampshade. A silk scarf would also work.
Find a cute paper gift bag (like the ones you probably got at the baby shower) that your lamp will fit in. Cut small holes all over the bag with scissors or a hole puncher. Include a larger one at the base of the bag for the plug to run through. Place the light in the bag- now light will filter through the holes, and out the top, but not directly at the baby or you.

Take care that your new nightlight modification doesn’t shift and touch the bulb, which can create overheating, and please note that this hack is only intended for short periods when you are in the room feeding, changing, or puttering around. Other than that, enjoy your newfound ability to feed the baby at night without stepping on the dog! - Leigh G.

1. brandy [9/19/08]

Why risk creating a fire when you could just use Jonisk?
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10053291

2. Jeremiah [9/19/08]

I wonder what other readers think. If you’ve read our other blogs, you probably know that we are very safety-conscious. This being an item that is intended for use only for brief moments of activity in the middle of the night, it seems perfectly safe to me when used with a cool-type light bulb.

And would it make a difference to you if this was not actually in the baby’s room? My thought is, it shouldn’t. Any other readers want to join in a discussion?

3. Leigh [9/19/08]

As my kid sleeps in the same room as my husband and I, I didn’t even think about the difference it might make if this was in a separate room.

Either way, if you are concerned, another option would be a solar-powered Chinese lantern. These are really cute- I’d guess the orange or red ones would be perfect. We hung a green one in our stairwell for late night bathroom trips when I was pregnant and it was great.

Here’s one site selling these (we got ours as a gift, don’t know where they bought it)
http://www.rittenhouse.ca/asp/product.asp?pf=1&PG=1291

4. brandy [9/19/08]

i think it’s a bad idea - you are suggesting sleep deprived new parents remember to turn it off. You could also just get a dimmer switch (cheap).

5. Krista [9/19/08]

No way for me. I can bet my DH would never remember to remove it, and I surely would also forget sometimes.

I prefer a night LED cool touch nightlight that automatically turns on when it’s dark and off when its not. It gives me a enough light to see some, but not too much that it is disturbing.

I did buy a purple lamp shade for one of the nursery lamps and that tones down the light it gives, safely.

6. Sara [9/20/08]

Because I know how brain dead I am during the middle of the night, I would be hesitant, too. Some friends gave us a night light made out of a glass block for the baby’s room, and it worked great. The light was made by a string of 10 white holiday lights that were inserted into a hole in the side of the glass block. This night light provided enough light to feed and change during the night without killing myself, and it actually lasts longer if you don’t turn it off and on. Ours lasted about 2 years, and now we are in search of another string of lights to put it in the new baby’s room. You can find some information about lights like this at http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf37245405.tip.html.

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