Night Lights

A good night light is bright enough to find your way to the bathroom and dim enough not to wake anyone up. This collection includes plug-in dusk-to-dawn lights, motion-sensor stair and hallway lights, rechargeable portable lights, outlet-cover lights such as SnapPower GuideLight, and colour or star projectors for kids’ rooms, from L LOHAS, JandCase, Briignite and others.

Plug-in lights with a dusk-to-dawn sensor switch on automatically when the room gets dark and draw well under one watt, so leaving them on every night costs only cents a year. Motion-sensor models are better on stairs and in hallways where you only need light when someone walks past. Rechargeable lights can be carried or stuck to a cabinet with no outlet nearby.

For bedrooms and nurseries, choose a warm colour temperature (around 2700K–3000K) or a red/amber setting and keep the brightness low; warm, dim light is less disruptive at night than cool white. For bathrooms and stairs, a dimmable light that reaches 25–100 lumens gives enough to see clearly without glare.

Frequently asked questions

How much electricity does a plug-in night light use?

Most LED plug-in night lights draw between 0.3 and 1 watt. Even left on for 12 hours every night, that is roughly 1.5–4.5 kWh a year, which costs well under a dollar at typical Canadian electricity rates.

What colour of night light is best for sleep?

Warm and dim is best. A red, amber or warm white (about 2700K) light at a low brightness is less disruptive than cool white or blue light. Many of the lights here offer adjustable brightness or a red mode for bedrooms and nurseries.

Dusk-to-dawn or motion sensor – which should I choose?

Dusk-to-dawn lights stay on all night once it gets dark, which suits bathrooms and kids’ rooms. Motion-sensor lights only switch on when someone moves nearby, which is better for stairs, hallways and closets and avoids light shining into bedrooms all night.

Will a plug-in night light block my outlet?

Some do. Slim and rotating-plug designs leave the second outlet free, and outlet-cover lights such as SnapPower GuideLight replace the wall plate so both receptacles stay usable.

Product information is for general reference only. Specifications can vary — always check the manufacturer’s listing and instructions. For electrical work, follow your local electrical code and use a licensed professional where required.