My toddler is afraid of the dark...

[Super Dave]

Hi,

My little girl (3) needs her own flashlight. Last night I let her use an old AAA Dorcy and she fell asleep with it on.

I did a search and most of the posts related to this topic are a few years old. I was wondering what the other parents on CPF are using these days.

Ideally, it should be big enough (not a 1xAAA) so it can be found pretty easily.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[mightykid]

Hi,

My little girl (3) needs her own flashlight. Last night I let her use an old AAA Dorcy and she fell asleep with it on.

I did a search and most of the posts related to this topic are a few years old. I was wondering what the other parents on CPF are using these days.

Ideally, it should be big enough (not a 1xAAA) so it can be found pretty easily.

Thanks,
Dave

My 2 year old has a puck shaped led light (3AAA) as night light. It has an optional wall mount and a magnetic base. Brand is eveready.

 

[cottonpickers]

My 7 year old has Christmas style coloured lights in a string in his room. Along with a radio set to classic music We switch them off when we go to bed. (and he has a cheap AA incan) Seems to help him get to sleep and not come downstairs.

 

[jabe1]

My 3 yr old uses a Lego headlamp, a coast 1AAA, or a lifegear light stick.

I would recommend the lifegear, it uses 3 LR44 batteries which can be ordered cheap, it's big enough to find easily, and not bright enough to worry about. And it's only about $5.

 

[smokelaw1]

My 2.5 year old has a Milkyspit modded E1E with a diffused lens, warm tinted LED being driven very lightly, puts out a super smooth 12 lumens or so (best guess). It has been left on overnight at least three or four times, plus used nearly daily while her mother sleeps and she helps me "find" clothes and shoes to wear, and it's still on its first battery (given to her in April). It doesn't always stay in her crib, but if she asks for it, it will.

She now "owns" the dark with me. She said she was scared of the dark once, and I looked SO SHOCKED. I said...."but, but....when it's dark...that's the BEST time to use our flashlights!" She hasn't minded the dark since.

I might have created a monster.

 

[SunStar]

My 5 year old relies on his Malkoff M60LL to keep him company through the night. For general play, he uses FM / 3P set up. For all night runs, the M60LL is hosted in a 6P with 2 A19's (4 cell tube) powered by 2 AW 17670's protected. He tail stands the light using a Z49 tail cap. The light will run all night in this configuration in what seems regulation and not even get warm.

The M60LL is very versatile running on a single RCR123, CR123, or 2 CR123's 1-2 17670's or 1-2 18650's. We can basically size the light according to his "mission". The light never gets hot, it's tough, easy on batteries and has enough sustained power to still run strong after being left on and forgotten.

I originally configured the light for long term emergencies but quickly discovered the every day utility of the Malkoff LL with my kid. It no doubt has logged more hours than any light I own - thankfully not in any emergency.

 

[Darvis]

Wow, great thread as I have a toddler approaching this very stage and have long wondered how I'd set him up with his first light. I was thinking about going with one of my glo-toob lithiums on low, but like the idea of using one my M60LL's with one of the valiant concepts twisty AA rigs and a diffuser cap. I might, just might, go Milky Candle but am not sure yet. I agree the single AAA form factor is tempting, but a bit too small. Good ideas all around!

 

[LED BriCK]

The only thing I would add is I wouldn't want to use anything that uses a lithium battery like CR123 or RCR123. Call me paranoid, but I'm just afraid of if he/she leaves it on all night in the bed. I think something like a single AA NiMH would be ideal, and relatively dim by our standards since kids tend to love to shine flashlights in their baby siblings' eyes.

 

[tandem]

My now 11 and 13 year old kids each have a recently acquired E01 on their key rings which are always in their school daypacks or bicycle panniers depending on the transport mode of the day. Both are attached to a bright 30cm long lanyard to make them easier to find. As I'm updating our biking lights I foresee them each getting a pretty modern and powerful 1xAA light in the not distant future.

Fear of the dark hasn't ever been an issue for our kids, but they have always had lights in their rooms -- since they were young toddlers they have always had an emergency light - a flashlight and/or a 3xAAA puck light, at arms reach in their room. Today they still have one of those puck lights beside their alarm clock and a small 9 led 3$ light each in their bed side table drawer.

Certainly when they were younger their occasionally got abused physically or electrically so I too favour NiMH all the way baby. Even today I would not put a lithium based light, rechargeable or otherwise, in their care.

 

[Monocrom]

My 2.5 year old has a Milkyspit modded E1E . . .

CPF Father of the Year material right there.

 

[SunStar]

CPF Father of the Year material right there.

:thumbsup::thumbsup: ... thought the same thing... :laughing:

 

[Chicago X]

To echo another poster above, I would recommend something that can't cause eye damage when stared at for a long time.

I would also avoid lithium chemistries.

Kids do strange stuff sometimes.

 

[*Dusty*]

I gave my daughter a Disney princess torch which I later modified with a drop in 50 lumen LED replacement. She was running through a set of batteries every night on the incan, now the same set lasts her a week.

If you're based in the UK they're found easily in B&Q. 2xAA so big enough for her little hands to operate easily and has nice little plastic diamonds in the head of it to make it girly.

Prior to finding this I had given her an E01 but it was too tight for her little hands and then she discovered she could get the battery out. This caused her slight distress as she couldn't reassemble it again in the dark.

I had also let her use my fenix L1D with lantern/diffuser on it, she liked to call it her magic wand

Now she's also got a Fauxton on a bit of string which wraps around her favourite teddy's paw so she always knows where to find it.

Worth noting I didn't force a light on her, she kept asking for mine so i asked if she'd like one of her own and the mission to find a pink torch commenced. I never once felt ashamed going into shops and rejecting flashlights as they were not pink or girly enough!

 

[Qoose]

:thumbsup::thumbsup: ... thought the same thing... :laughing:

Seconded.

I stepped into this thread and thought, get the kid an HDS.

 

[Super Dave]

Thanks for the ideas.

I like the LightGear Glowstick for the low cost, comes in pink and 200 hour runtime. They have a Halloween light too.
http://www.lifegearcompany.com/glowsticks/index.html

These were suggested in older CPF threads. They look light good light but I think they are out of production.

Playskool light:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00000IW2Y?tag=maxxnewyork-20

Color Kinetics Sauce Light Wand
http://www1.epinions.com/review/Color_Kinetics_Sauce_Lightwand/content_74781986436

Just for fun, here's another light in production:
http://www.fisherprice.com/fp.aspxst=2622&e=product&pcat=kidtough&pid=52075

Thanks again,
Dave

 

[Lynx_Arc]

how about the playschool flashlight with an LED dropin?

 

[Robinda]

The new maglight with the sleep mode would work well in this application

 

[Mike V]

My 3 year old loves to use my Photo Rex and also has one of these:

 

[prof]

My children (8 and 5) have E01s on neck lanyards hanging from their bedposts. The lanyards (.99 at lighthound) make it easy to find the lights. We tried the puck-shaped 3 AAA lights from WalMart--they were fine but kept vanishing. The E01 is dim enough to not be an issue, small enough for little hands (but the head is too small if you're dealing with a child that might disassemble and swallow), and the lanyard makes it big enough to find. My son (the 5 year old) used to regularly loose the puck lights but he never looses this one. He understands it's a better light and takes very good care of it. When he has a bad dream he uses the light to walk to our room, turns it off, puts it on my nightstand, then climbs in with us.

The E01 is about $12.50 or so at lighthound, and add another .99 for the lanyard. If one is lost...oh well.

Oh, they run a LONG time on a single battery. I've got hybrids waiting but have not had to change batteries yet. We've had these for several months now.

I've also used the $5 led lanterns from WalMart...ok but not durable around a little boy...

I also avoid lithium for the kids...just in case. I don't like incan for them, either--I want a cool running light.

I really do think that providing a light is a great way to help the children overcome this fear--it gives them control. Neither of my kids seem worried about the dark anymore (but for some reason MY LIGHTS seem to move around a bit...hmmm)

 

[Zflashlight]

Believe me i'm not trying to be a smart ***.
My honest reply is, why not let her learn to live with it?
I remember i had that phase, maybe most do.
Perhaps alternatively, and for a few nights only, just a simple dim lamp that plugs to the wall? No batteries needed. Cheap.

Did i misunderstand your question?