Star and aurora projectors: what they do well, and their limits

Projectors are the most fun thing we sell and the most often misused. They are excellent at making a room feel calm at bedtime and poor at being a night light, and knowing which job you are asking of one avoids disappointment.

A bedtime device

A projector gives a moving, coloured ceiling that is genuinely soothing for the twenty minutes before sleep. It is far too much light and far too much movement to leave running all night, which is why virtually all of them include a timer.

Set the timer, and put a small warm lamp elsewhere for later in the night.

Your ceiling decides the result

A white, flat, matte ceiling gives a crisp projection. A textured or dark ceiling absorbs and scatters it. The distance matters too: most projectors are designed for a room of ordinary height and produce a washed-out image in a very tall room.

Before buying, look up. It will tell you more than the product photograph will.

Slow and warm over fast and bright

The settings that actually help are the slow-moving, low-brightness, warm ones. The fast multicolour modes are entertaining for a few minutes and stimulating rather than calming.

Choose a projector that has a genuinely dim setting; some only go down to “quite bright”.

Sound features

Many projectors include a speaker, often Bluetooth. Used as a white-noise source it is convenient; used as a music player it tends to become part of a bedtime negotiation. Check that the light and the sound can be used independently.

If you already have a sound machine, a projector without a speaker is usually the better buy.

Placement and safety

Projectors have rotating heads and cables, and children find both interesting. Put it high, out of reach, and clip the cable. A projector pulled off a shelf is a broken projector at best.

Do not place one where it projects directly into the cot at close range.

Cloud and wall lights

Battery-operated cloud lamps and wall lights are the other end of the same idea: a fixed soft glow rather than a moving projection. They suit a reading corner and a toddler room well, and they do not need a ceiling to work.

Check the fixing; many are lighter than they look and are designed for adhesive or a single screw.

Older children

Projectors keep their appeal for years, and they are one of the few nursery purchases that survive into a school-age bedroom. Choosing one with a remote and a simple interface matters more than the number of effects, because eventually the child will operate it.

Effects counts in the thirties are a marketing figure; two or three good ones get used.

Choosing one

Timer, a genuinely dim warm setting, independent sound, a remote, and a projection designed for a normal ceiling height. Those five make a projector that gets used nightly rather than at parties. The models on our shop page list all of them.

Laser and LED projections are different

Projectors use either LEDs shining through a patterned disc or low-power laser diodes to draw points of light. LED versions give soft nebula-like washes; laser versions give sharp green or red dots that look more like stars.

Laser models should carry a class rating and should never be aimed at anyone’s eyes, which is a good reason to mount them pointing at a ceiling and to keep the remote rather than letting a child aim it. For a nursery, the softer LED wash is generally the better choice anyway.

Making the room dark enough for one to work

A projector competes with every other light source in the room, and in a city bedroom that usually means streetlight. Good blackout does more for a projector than any amount of extra brightness, and it improves sleep at the same time.

Test it before buying: turn out the lights at night and look at how much light comes through the window. If you can read by it, the projection will look washed out however good the device is.

Where a projector belongs in a bedtime routine

Used at the end of a routine — after the bath, after the story, as the light the room settles into — a projector gives a clear signal that the day is finished. Used at the start it becomes an entertainment and the routine gets longer rather than shorter.

Set the timer for slightly less than the time it usually takes to fall asleep, so the room is quiet and dim by the time sleep arrives rather than switching off afterwards. That single detail is what separates a projector that helps from one that becomes a nightly negotiation.

The short version

• Use the timer; a projector running all night is too much light.
• Ceiling height and surface change the result more than the model does.
• Warm, slow settings work; fast colour cycling does not.
• Keep it out of reach — most have a rotating head.

From our shelves

• Northern Galaxy Light Aurora Projector with 33 Light Effects, Night Lights LED Star Projector — $29.99
• Cloud Light – Floating Cloud Wall Lamp — $29.95
• AUVON Plug-in LED Backlit Night Light 4 Packs, Motion & Dusk to Dawn Sensor — $22.99

Where to go next

Browse the full range on the shop page, read the frequently asked questions before ordering, or check delivery timing on the Shipping Policy page. If you would rather ask a person, contact us — the phone reaches the counter.