WFMW--Low light to check on kids at night

With young kids (and another baby on the way), I'm checking on kids at night a couple times a week...someone has a bad dream, is sick, or gets wound up in the blankets and whimpers.

When I'm checking on the kids (or nursing a newborn), I don't want to turn on the overhead light, which would be too harsh and bright for the child who is upset, and might wake up the other child. Even the lamp on the dresser is too bright. So I plug the lamp (near the door) into a touch pad that turns on the lamp at a very low level. There are three levels to tap through, so if the first level isn't bright enough, tap it again for a little more light, then tap it again for full brightness.

I bought the touch pad at Home Depot for less than 10 dollars. You have to tap it with your fingers (maybe a bare foot would work, but I've tried it in other locations--before kids--on the floor and it doesn't work with a sock foot).

Of course, another option is to replace your overhead light switch with a dimmer, but I prefer dimming a table lamp (less light throughout the room with the table lamp dimmed, but remember to turn off the breaker so you don't zap yourself if you change the wall switch!)

That has worked for Tom and me VERY well for the past almost-four-years, I hope it works for you! My other WFMW ideas are here.