A buyer's guide to kids' lighting

Lighting has come a long way from the days where primitive humans had to rely on the light of the sun, and to a lesser extent, the moon. Due to Edison and his predecessors, people are able to hold back the night - something which children appreciate more than you know. When picking out lighting, there are a few things to consider, such as the room, the age of the child, and the purpose of the light.

Ceiling lights

Ceiling lamps can be good general lights by which you can light an entire room. However, they can have weak points as far as task lighting. The variety of ceiling lighting is quite broad: from traditional flush mount lights, semi-flush, pendant (which includes chandeliers) and even lights that are fan/light combos. The styles vary as well, from the traditional styling to more modern and even childish, such as featuring designs which look like flowers, the moon or light/mobile combinations. The ceiling light is good for general illumination, but not for task lighting.

Wall lights

Wall lights are those that are mounted on the walls and not the ceiling. This type of light category can extend from sconces to nightlights. Wall lights are not good general lighting, unlike the ceiling lighting. They are better as supplements to ceiling lighting or as task lights - put over the changing table, for example, or near the child's bed or crib. The styles of wall lighting can be quite broad - especially for children. You can also pick out colourful shades for the wall lamps that add to or compliment the décor of the room. Wall lights could also include nightlights that plug directly into the socket and offer illumination throughout the night. These lights can be quite fanciful, perfect for a kids nursery or just consist of an LED plug-in that turns on the instant the light in the room goes below a certain level.

Table lamps

These lamps are light wall lamps as they work better as supplemental lighting than general lighting. These come in a variety of styles and can include colourful shade choices. These lights can be placed where needed. The main drawback of these lights is that they can be tipped over. For this reason, is that they might work better in rooms for an older child who could be trusted not to treat the light as a play-thing.

Floor lamps

Floor lamps are another lighting option that works best as supplemental rather than general lighting. These also come in a variety of styles and can have colourful shades. Some can even more closely resemble sculptures. One of the drawbacks of these lights is that they can be tipped over.