Before hitting the closest lighting retail outlet in search of the perfect child lamp or ceiling light fixture for your child's bedroom you need to first become familiar with the basic concepts of effective lighting. In any kid room you need to consider ambient, task and accent lighting.
Ambient light is the kind of light that fills the whole room. Be sure to add a sufficient amount of ambient light for the safety and comfort of your child. A ceiling light fixture is a great source of ambient light.
Task lighting is the kind of lighting that brightens a particular area. Such lighting is ideal for desktop use as it doesn't cause glare and eyestrain. A decorative child lamp is most often ideal for both desktop and bedside use.
Accent lighting should be ideally situated to add to the room's comfort level. It is purely decorative in nature and can be used to highlight treasured accessories.
In an infant nursery situation lighting is just as valuable to the parents as it is to the newborn. Since you'll be spending a considerable amount of time in your baby's room it's important that you have an effective ceiling light fixture as well as a decorative child lamp or two that gives off sufficient light. Such light is important when it comes to changing your baby or reading stories.
A dimmer switch is another good feature to have in a kid room. Such a switch allows you to brighten the room when required and then lower the light at bedtime.
The safest kinds of ambient light fixtures to use in your child's room are wall scones, recessed fixtures and track lighting. The advantage here is that these types of fixtures won't get damaged if your kids start rough housing whereas another type of child lamp may. Also keeping any light sources out of your child's reach is always a good way to prevent burns.
A ceiling light fixture is an ideal alternative as you never have to worry about lamps being knocked over.
For the rooms of younger kids consider general ambient lighting that comes from a ceiling light fixture. Over time you can add localized task lighting into the mix as your child begins using her room for more refined activities like reading or arts and crafts.
Now let's move from the benefits of a ceiling light fixture to that of the child lamp.
When it comes to selecting a child lamp for a desktop consider one that not only compliments the décor of the room but is angled in such away that it avoids unnecessary stress on your child's vision. Positioning a child lamp so it shines directly on your child's desk or work area can cause glare and eyestrain.
Before purchasing a child lamp be sure to look for one's that won't tip easily, produce too much heat or is too heavy in the event that your child does manage to knock or pull it off her desk or table top.
A good child lamp is well-balanced and able to be fastened securely onto a desk.
If your child has a computer in her room, you'll want to ensure that she has ambient as well as task lighting that's compatible. The trick here is to use task lighting to illuminate what is on the monitor and use an ambient light source to eliminate any contrast.
If your child likes to read in bed consider an adjustable child lamp near her bedpost. What better way to encourage your children to wind down their day than to read? Reading will become more appealing to your child if you make the experience as comfortable as possible.
If you wish to place a child lamp next to the bed make sure it lines up with your child's shoulder when she's sitting up ready to read. Lighting that comes from behind her shoulder and slightly to the side will be the best for her eyes.
