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Baby night light projectors can be a powerful tool in the battle against a bad night’s sleep, they can light up the room, play soft music and prevent the intervention of parents… which is what all parents could with!
Sleep is often a difficult subject when it comes to babies and young children, usually because of a lack of it for both them and the parents. The most difficult time is when they are sleeping in their own room, especially if it’s a new transition where previously they shared a bed with parents or were in a next to me crib.
When your baby turns 2 and beyond the fear of the dark can develop, which is completely normal but can be a difficult time for all. To combat this, many parents invest in a baby night light projector to gently put them to sleep and soothe their anxiety if they wake up in the middle of the night.
Best Baby Night Light Projector UK Reviews
Contents
Below is a selection of 10 different light projection devices which we feel are the best on the UK market.
SOAIY Baby Night Light Projector with White Noise
There are very few of the best baby night light projector available in the UK that tick every single box when it comes to light quality and all the features you need. The SOAIY Baby Night Light Projector with White Noise is one of them. The reason we rate this projector so much is that it has the projector and white noise capabilities- our buyer’s guide explains why white noise is a much more effective sleep tool than lullabies or songs.
The quality of the night lights projector light is very good with vivid colours, shapes and 7 different modes including starry sky and a soft light to help children gently fall asleep, the projector is big enough to cover an entire ceiling if positioned correctly. Alongside the projector light show is both a built-in white noise machine with 6 different choices or you can use the Bluetooth connection to play your own music – this is a rare and premium feature not often found in a night light projector.
It’s powered by USB which can be plugged into the mains with an adapter or any other device with a battery and a USB port so you’ll never need to worry about it going off in the middle of the night. You will get a remote control to set anything up and turn it off or on at a distance but it does rely heavily on it – if the remote breaks you there are no manual buttons on the device as a fallback. You have been warned!
This is around £10 more expensive than most models but it has superior features worth a lot more than the difference – the white noise machine is one of them alongside the remote control. This really is among the best baby night projectors on the UK market.
OneFire Star Night Light Projector for Baby
The OneFire Baby Star Night light projector is a best seller on Amazon with an average rating of over 4.5/5. The main light projection comes from a 360 degree starry night complete with moon and stars which can remain still or rotate depending on the desired mode. A commonly celebrated feature is the many different colours it can project all over the baby room which creates an incredible experience which captures the imagination of children and helps put them to sleep quickly.
With the OneFire baby night light and projector you can instantly turn a bedroom into a starry night which has been proven to work effectively to reduce anxiety in a baby, speed up the process of them going to sleep but also to assist in helping them drift back to sleep if they wake up and the light is still on. The baby room is literally glowing with a stunning starscape with fantastically rich colours.
It’s cheap and often available for just over £10 and can be powered by both USB and AA batteries. The LED inside will last for around a year before it needs replacing if it’s used regularly but it should last more than long enough for your baby to transition through this time.
Summer Infant Slumber Buddies Hippo Night Light for Kids
The Summer Infant Hippo nightlight projector for baby is a best seller online as it blends the need to have a soothing light with a plush toy exterior that your baby or child can cuddle with as they are sleeping. It has been regarded as so well designed that often children will cuddle with it during the day!
The night light on the back of the hippo is rudimentary, it won’t fill the whole room up but it will project enough that it will capture their attention as the little one tries to sleep. But, it does have the option to provide some rythm and 3 different colours.
Alongside the basic nightlights, it has 5 meditative music tracks and nature sounds to help your baby become relaxed and block out external noises which could scare them or distract them for sleeping. The night lights and the music can both be set to a timer of 15, 30 and 45 minutes which helps save the batteries – this can’t be plugged into the mains power source and uses 3 AA batteries.
Arguably, the best feature of the Summer Infant hippo is the overall design which can help your baby feel at ease if it’s something they can touch, see and understand. Many reviewers have noted how attached their baby can get to the hippo which makes the process of them falling asleep much easier and quicker which is, of course, a delight to parents.
Moredig Baby Light Projector
The Moredig baby light projector is a serious piece of kit with a lot of presence. It is a 360-degree night light projector which can fill an entire baby room with dazzling and sleep-inducing lights that are to be seen to be believed. It is certainly a choice for parents who only buy the best and no compromises.
You can have a starry night or animal world as the shapes which can help your baby understand height, depth and distance perception as the illuminations go across the walls and the ceiling. With 8 different colour modes and two landscapes, there are 16 different combinations in total. The light show is so vibrant that it’s impossible to keep your eyes off it. Because the patterns are constantly moving around it won’t take long for your baby to fall asleep.
Also included are 12 different pieces of music to accompany the lights to enhance the show further. Also, a timer can be set between 5 and 500 minutes so you can have it for a short while to get them down or keep it on all night. 45 minutes is typically the most common selection. Thankfully, this can be plugged into the mains so you won’t have to worry about it going flat overnight. It can also take AAA batteries if you want it to be portable but they can drain fast since it’s rather powerful.
Yissma Baby Room Starry Sky Projector
Our last entry is the cheapest on the market for a quick fix. Available for less than £5 the Yissmma baby night lights can project basic stars and a warm glow to a room which uses a USB cable which can run forever.
There is only colour and patterns available which is not suitable to get them to sleep but it can help them work through their fear of the dark. It’s USP is its price but it’s certainly not the best baby night light projector on the market as it doesn’t have any music or choices of colours and patterns.
Cacchino Musical Baby Night Light With Projector
The Cacchino musical baby night light with a projector is presented in a friendlier way that does away with looking like a scary electrical device and encased in a soft whale-shaped stuffed toy design. Underneath, however, is still a fully functioning light projector with a few extras thrown in, too.
With a hook and loop system, this night light for a baby room can actually be placed virtually anywhere as it also uses 3x AAA batteries and not the mains as the power source.
First of all, the night light projector is full of colourful sars but the range is nowhere near the more expensive and bigger products. There are 6 different colour settings but they are all star shapes. It can light up a room which has been blacked out but can struggle in rooms which leave some light in as it’s a rather soft light. It’s the best positioning is probably in the cot/bed with the baby or in a corner. The darker the room, the better. But, the light show itself is still great and can easily lull a baby to a comfortable sleep.
The bonuses are well worth mentioning as it has 10 classic baby lullabies alongside the night lights from the projector. A heartbeat sound is also included which is ideal for a newborn baby who is still in the “fourth trimester“.
This is among the best baby night light projector for babies from Cacchino, who may be more inclined to chill with a toy rather than a static electrical device. It’s not expensive for what it is but the costs can mount up over time as it needs batteries. However, with a 30-minute auto switch off there’s no risk of it running the AAA batteries flat overnight.
HebyTinco Baby Night Light Projector
The HebyTinco baby night light projector is a charming little device which is highly portable with the use of AAA batteries and works by using a roll fo film with different landscapes which include sea world, carousel, starry sky and universe. This is a much cheaper product than most of on this list by doing things a little bit old school.
The effect of the film roll inside (that the internal lamp shines through) is actually quite mesmerising and really impressive. You can have 8 different colours to come out of the light projector which gives it quite a bit of diversity so every night feels different. It’s powerful enough to fill the room and the different landscapes and how they turn to capture the attention of the child quickly and keeps it until they fall asleep from the light show.
But, this is all this projector does – it doesn’t have noise or nature sounds but at this price, you wouldn’t expect it and there are other ways to get this for your baby.
It has a loop at the top which means it can hang inside a cot above your baby, or anywhere really. It has two power sources which are through the mains for continuous use or by using 4 AAA batteries which lets it become highly portable and convenient.
Ocean Baby Projector Lamp and Night Light
This isn’t made for babies but it has all the features which make a great baby nightlight. It looks like a spot lamp and can project colour with some atmospheric shapes which can cover most of the area it is pointed towards. With 8 different colour settings, it can be set to the right colour your baby likes to fall asleep with. Among our favourites is the ocean effect or pure red which is linked with making people sleepy. Read more on this in the buyer’s guide section.
Also included are 6 different music tracks which are close to white noises which are forest insect, ocean waves with seagulls, river water, nature and two classic cradle songs. They aren’t strictly white noise but are effective at putting both babies and adults to sleep soundly.
The remote control is included so you can adjust at a distance or simply turn it off and on which won’t disturb your baby. Lastly, it has automatic timer features and powered by the mains so it can be used all night long if you wanted.
Baby Night Light Projector Buyer’s Guide
Welcome to the world of baby night lights and projectors. You’re probably here because your child isn’t sleeping well in the night, is in their own room and you want to see if these products will get them to sleep better. You want to know which is the best one on the market (detailed in the above list) as well as find out if there’s any science behind their use with your baby. We’ve created some quick question and answers below which is backed by science from those who have extensive knowledge in the subject of baby sleep.
A night light star projector can definitely help but we feel they need to be used in a specific way with the right colour otherwise the light projection will actually make the situation worse.
Do night light projectors help baby to sleep?
Yes and no. According to Sarah Ockwell-Smith, some wavelengths of light have a tremendous effect on sleep and others make it worse. What Sarah is saying is that certain colours of lights can help produce Melatonin and others inhibit the production – melatonin is often known as the sleep hormone. A night time sleep is completely different from a daytime nap.
The colours and wavelengths that work are
- Total darkness
- Warm tones such as oranges pinks
- Red
The worst are
- Greens
- Blues
- Whites
Therefore, it’s suggested that night light projectors can indeed help put babies to sleep and keep them asleep for longer in total darkness or colours where red is the base.
Darkness is essential to sleep
There is no magic secret to put a baby to sleep in the night but one thing which can be overlooked is how essential total darkness is for sleep. The absence of light triggers the release of sleep-inducing hormones and night lights can undo a lot of good work and in fact, make the whole process harder – this is especially true if certain wavelengths are used by the night light projector such as whites, blues and greens.
Despite the effectiveness of a night light, it is no substitute to total darkness which can be tricky if your baby has developed a fear of the dark. So, we advise using red-based colours to get them to sleep in the night if that works and then turn the device off in a dark room once they are asleep.
Do shapes and patterns help put babies to sleep?
Yes, the shapes and patterns generated by the night light star projector can help put babies to sleep but not in the way you may think. A projection of shapes and patterns can help hold your child’s attention at night and keep them distracted from things that would otherwise upset. For example, if your child is tired and grumpy (perhaps from teething) the projection of shapes and patterns moving around the room can hold their gaze for long enough that they will eventually fall asleep. Without this distraction, they may otherwise begin to cry and scream for attention which can go on all night.
A couple of the distraction of the patterns with nice warm colours and perhaps white noise and parents suddenly have a very strong ally in the battle for a good night’s sleep.
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