Lights.com—Nursery Lighting
Nursery lighting presents a host of different options as far as style and luminosity. Lighting is a very functional part of child rearing that not many people consider when designing a nursery. There are no official rules when it comes to selecting the type of lighting that will be installed in a nursery, but there are definitely suggestions that will help make a nursery more amenable to both the child and the parent. Follow these suggestions, and the child rearing experience will be more pleasant.
Suggestions Regarding Nursery Lighting
There should be at least one overhead light in a baby's room. A table lamp will also serve nursery lighting purposes in the room. If using a table lamp, make sure that the cord is out of reach of the child, as well as the lamp itself. If you are going with overhead lighting, a dimmer switch would be preferable. This allows for the parent to choose exactly what type of light is tolerable and best for a child.
Nursery lighting should never be halogen. Upright halogen lights are too susceptible to being knocked over. They are definite fire hazards and are too dangerous around small children. Ultimately, they are not very aesthetically pleasing either, but then this is not the main concern when it comes to lighting. Other floor lamps should be avoided as well. The cords on these lamps present too high a risk for them to be worth the light they give. Everything should be kept out of the baby's reach in order to keep a safe home.
A baby doesn't necessarily need a lot of light. The one or two lights that are in a baby's room are for the parents use. Thus, table lamps and very dim chandeliers serve the lighting purposes in the room. However, living in California, I know the dangers of chandeliers when it comes to earthquakes. Please take into consideration these variables when designing a lighting scheme for a nursery. Don't place chandeliers directly over the child's crib if you do use them. This is a disaster waiting to happen.