A Parent's Guide to Choosing Table Lamps for Kids' Rooms and Gifts
Khilauna Team · · 6 min read
As winter and the festive season come in, most of us start doing up the house a little. Maybe it's Christmas decorations in the living room, a fresh look for the kids' room for the holidays, or a list of gifts for nieces, nephews and friends' children. String lights get most of the attention. But a good table lamp keeps giving its soft glow long after the festivals are over.
For parents, a lamp in a child's room does real work. It keeps a toddler company after the bedtime story. It helps you find your way in a dark nursery at midnight. It makes a study desk a nicer place to sit.
Here is what to think about before you buy one, and then eight lamps from Giftkidukan that work well for bedrooms, puja corners and gifting.
How to choose
1. The colour of the light
The light changes the feel of a room straight away. In our range you will find four kinds:
- Warm white: soft and easy on the eyes in the dark. Good for bedside tables, nurseries and home temples.
- Warm yellow: a little richer. Makes a study table or shelf feel cosy on winter evenings.
- Bright white: makes the engraved drawing stand out sharply against a dark wall. Cheerful on a kid's shelf.
- Colour-changing: some small night lights change colour by themselves. Older kids usually love these.
2. The type of lamp
Think about where it will sit.
- Acrylic panel on a wooden base: a flat, clear sheet with a drawing engraved on it, standing in an oval base. The light shines up from the base and makes the drawing glow. They are slim, so they fit on narrow side tables, bookshelves and desks.
- Wooden box light: like a small, deep photo frame with a lit picture inside. At about 11 cm, it fits easily on a puja shelf, in a home mandir or on a side table.
- Plug-in night lamp: about 6 cm, and it goes straight into a wall socket. Good when there is no table space, or when you want wires out of a child's reach. Works well in a passage or next to the bed.
3. Power and plug points
Check where your sockets are before you buy. Most Giftkidukan table lamps have a white cord coming out of the back of the base. There is no battery to charge, but you need a socket near the desk or bed. If your only socket is low on a wall or in a passage, a plug-in lamp is easier.
4. The picture on it
Let the design decide, especially for a gift:
- Festivals and housewarmings: traditional designs, flowers, and devotional pictures like Bal Krishna and Bal Ganesh suit Indian homes at festival time.
- Special days: a lamp with a birthday party scene is a sweet keepsake for a baby's first birthday.
- Everyday kids' rooms: dinosaurs, cartoon cats and anime characters let children pick something that is "theirs".
Eight lamps we like
1. Child and Elephant table lamp
This one has an Indian feel. A smiling little child in a kurta sits next to a decorated baby elephant, with flowers, clouds and stars around them. The clear square panel stands in a smooth oval wooden base. When you switch it on, the warm white light makes the drawing glow gently. It suits a nursery shelf or a bedside table, and it is a sweet holiday gift.
2. Baby Krishna night lamp
For families who like a devotional touch in the child's room or puja corner. Baby Krishna sits playing his flute, with peacock feathers, stars and clouds around him and a neat double border. The panel stands in an oval wood-look base with a white cord. Switched on, the warm white glow lights up the border and the fine lines, a calm light for evening prayers or bedtime.
3. Bal Krishna and Bal Ganesh wooden box light
If you like a framed look, this 11 cm box light glows like a small lit painting. Little Krishna and little Ganesh are together on the panel inside a wooden frame. The warm white light is soft enough to leave on all night, and the small size fits a home temple, puja room or side table. A good ready-to-place gift when you visit family for a housewarming or a festival.
4. First Birthday table lamp
Babies get a lot of clothes and toys on their first birthday. This lamp is something different. It shows a party scene: a baby, a cartoon cat, a two-tier cake, gift boxes, party hats, balloons and confetti. It stands in an oval wooden base and glows warm white. It looks lovely on the party table, and afterwards it becomes the nursery night light.
5. Cartoon Cat table lamp
A cheerful cartoon cat sits and waves one paw, with its whiskers, collar bell and tummy pocket. The clear square panel stands in a light brown oval wooden base with a white cord. The soft, warm white glow lights up the cat and the edges of the panel. It looks right on a study desk, a nursery shelf or a bedside table.
6. Cartoon Friends night lamp
For kids who like a busy picture, this one has a group of five cartoon friends posing together. Like the others, it stands in an oval base with a light brown wood-look finish and has a white cord at the back. The difference is the light: warm yellow, which makes a bedroom or study table feel extra cosy in the evening.
7. Skateboarding Dinosaur table lamp
For dinosaur lovers. A cute dinosaur in big glasses rides a skateboard. This panel is rectangular instead of square, and it stands in a smooth oval wooden base. It glows bright white, so the drawing stands out clearly in the dark. A fun pick for a kid's room and a light-hearted holiday gift.
8. Itachi Uchiha (Naruto) plug-in night lamp
Older kids and anime fans want their room to show what they watch. This small 6 cm lamp shows Itachi Uchiha from Naruto inside a triangle frame. It plugs straight into a wall socket, so it takes no table space at all. It changes colour by itself, and works as a night light in a bedroom or in the passage outside. Easy to give for a birthday, or as a small Christmas gift.
Before you buy
Check where the plug points are in the room. Decide if you want a calm warm glow or a fun colour-changing light. Then pick a picture that will make your child smile.
