Nursery night-lights
Kerri Stalton

A nursery night-light is an absolute necessity. Remember those midnight adventures when you knocked and bumped your way through various obstacles and finally reached your baby and grabbed him by his feet? It's not fun to grope and stumble through the dark in the middle of the night to get to your crying little one.
Night-lights provide you with a way of checking on your sleeping baby without turning on the room light and possibly waking him up. Besides, a baby feels secure with some kind of subdued lighting to illuminate the room. Some toddlers develop a habit of waking up and wandering at night. A night-light in the nursery ensures that young children do not have nasty falls or bumps in the darkness. As a child grows up, dark monsters invariably find their way to his imagination and live beneath his bed or in the dark corners of the room. A night-light can help keep him from feeling afraid.
Night-lights are available in several styles and include decorative lights that are shaped like stars, moons, animals or objects. Some night-lights plug into a socket while others are lit by a nightlight candle. Automatic night-lights have on-off sensors built into them. Newer night-lights have various additional features. Some project colorful designs, like teddy bears and smiling stars, on the ceiling. Others even help calm and soothe a baby by playing musical tunes. Some of the latest models are voice activated, which means they light up and play tunes as soon as the child starts crying and stay on until the child is calm again. The latest designer night-lights may come beautifully shaped and designed as figurines and toys. Later on, these can double up as a nightlight base that leaves a soft glow at night or even as bright table light that can be used for studying.
Nursery night-lights are beautiful and cute and are a perfect gift for new parents. It adds a finishing touch to any nursery. Nursery-lights should be lead-free and non-toxic. The soft glow cast by these lights does not hurt the baby's eyes. Some night-lights are beaded while most are made of shatter-resistant glass. Even so, a night-light should never be placed where a baby can reach it.
Recent research has unearthed a rather disturbing finding that has led to much debate on the use of night-lights. Researchers have found that the first two years of life is critical to the development of vision. At this time, the proportions of darkness and light reaching the eye in a 24-hour period may affect the focusing capabilities of the eye. Too much light may lead to myopia, they say. But the study has been criticized as being biased and unscientific. Therefore, there doesn't seem to be much basis in this finding. Anxious parents can continue using night-lights until further research comes out with more data.
While there is some debate on whether they should be turned on all night or should be activated only when the baby comes awake, there is no doubt whatsoever that night-lights are a must in every household with kids. Stubbed toes, frightened babies, and uneasy sleep - all these can be avoided if you get yourself a decent nightlight.