My Toddler Wants a Light...Suggestions Needed

[leprechaun414]

I'm glad someone started this thread. These are great ideas and I had the same question about toddler lights. Look forward to hearing some more ideas.

 

[Brody]

A 4 year old boy I sometimes babysit seems to like the Sauce Light Wand. It is not very bright, but it produces light in a variety of colors, in either flashing, or color wash modes, or steady on in whatever color you like. He has learned to activate all of the different modes of the light and it can keep him occupied watching the light show. If you dont turn it off manually, it will turn off by itself after about 15 minutes- I know, not instantly off like you were mentioning, but at least it wont totally wear out the batteries if he doesnt turn it off manually.

 

[Bolster]

These are really great suggestions. So far, from this thread's recommendations, I've ordered the Playskool Flashlight and the Sauce Light Wand. I suppose y'all will be wanting beamshots, runtimes, and mods after I receive them...

 

[Marduke]

I suppose y'all will be wanting beamshots, runtimes, and mods after I receive them...

We expect nothing less.....

 

[Gatsby]

That Playskool light is a great one for kids - my son pulled it out this weekend again and with the auto shutoff he does not burn through batteries like he did with the Inova X1 he had or the XNova. Plus the different filters are kind of cool and allow me to tell him, truthfully, that daddy doesn't have a light that can do that! :thumbsup: But as he's gotten older he definitely is eyeing my lights and is starting to figure out that he might want some more oomph and smaller size. Hence the Lumapower I got him which he has really enjoyed.

 

[Bushman5]

a little safety tip....use blue loctite on the tail cap threads after you install the batts.....let it cure for a day or two and clean off the residue with rubbing alkyhol. It will too tough for the toddler to undo, but an adult can undo it
no prob.

 

[Marduke]

I have yet to see a toddler who is competent enough with a #1 philips screwdriver to get the battery compartment open. If the tike is that smart, I'm wouldn't worry about what they are doing once they get it open.

 

[Pydpiper]

I started my kids early with lights, made sure they had a bit of an idea of what they were holding just to keep things safe..
Here's last years flashlights, my daughter who is 3 has an Eternalight Derringer, Modified hot pink Mag, and a pretty cool Crayola crayon light, that one has a 3 second timer or stays on as long as she holds it.
My son's (who is now 5) on the right has a multi LED China light, one we use to read at night, an Eternalight Derringer, and a Surefire E1L which has since been passed up for a L4 Lumimax.
At first there was a lot of supervision when it came to their lights, now it is simply second nature to them. I suggest doing the same, they enjoy bright lights as much as us, and it is very feasible to give them one once there is an understanding.

 

[TMorita]

I gave one of my friend's kids an Eternalight Rav'n 2.

Expensive light, but it has a bazillion modes, and he loves it.

Toshi

 

[wmirag]

My kids liked the PAL light. Had them for years and they still work! The always-on feature is nice. The rubber body makes it less likely to damage other things. And the parts don't seem to be very swallowable.

http://www.palights.com/

W.

 

[Marduke]

I just had an idea, if there is none younger in the house than the toddler, the Energizer 2AA Hard Case Professional might be a good light. It's encased in rubber and plastic, so it's quite durable. It's not terribly bright, so no risk if eye damage. Runs fine on NiMH with decent runtime. Clicky switch, so it's easy to use. Decent beater light for $13, practically inscrutable.

 

[tnuckels]

These have worked well for us, except that the switching mechanism can be a bit unreliable. I've never investigated replacing the power source in the disposable ones, as they've always been broken or gone missing :shrug: well before the batteries ran out. At least they were inexpensive.

Boys … 3 boys …

Toddlers: http://energizer.com/products/flashlights/flashlight.asp?cat=2

Pre-K: http://energizer.com/products/flashlights/flashlight.asp?cat=9

Good Luck!

 

[Bolster]

So, my Playskool Color Glo flashlight, and my Color Kinetics Color Changing Lightwand arrived today...they're both perfect. My toddler gets one now, and the other for Christmas! Thank you very much!

 

[Wyeast]

The trouble with twisties is that sometimes they get overenthusiastic (or they reverse direction trying to turn it back on) and end up disassembling the light.

For the longest time we had Inova X1's as the "baby lights" - we still use them at bedtime because the 1AA is ideal for rechargables in a light that's often left on all night.

Now that the boys are older and want lights to play with during the daytime (blame dad ) I went with a larger light that's not as easy to lose around the house as the tiny black X1's -

Labeled as an Energizer "Weather Ready" it's a 4AA with one 5mm LED behind a reflector/cheap optic lens. Bright enough for a kid to play in the dark, but not so bright that you're blinded every time they swing it around the room. Big and red so it's easy to find. Pretty cheap, around $7 or so.

The only complaint I'd have with it is that it uses a plastic battery carrier - tho' with 4AA's driving one LED you're not swapping batteries too often. Did the old Turtlelight format (i.e. the Dorcy's) use carriers? They might be a better choice if the price is right.

 

[onthebeam]

Do others thing the Pal Safelights are a good idea? Safe enough?

Wits'End is closing them out in the marketplace for $7.50 each!

 

[thermal guy]

i have tried several lights for my twins there 3 the pal lights were great but the 3 levels were a little to much for them they would always leave them on strobe. 2AA Hard Case Professional as suggested above are what they are using. they love them. long run time 40 hrs and the switch is real easy for them to use.

 

[Bolster]

My toddler doing a beamshot with her Color Kinetics Sauce Light Wand. This is a great toddler light: lots of color variation, dim enough to stare at, enough complexity she has something to "figure out," and it shuts off automatically. Excellent suggestion, Brody.

My baby has more lights coming at Xmas time, so we'll see how they work out. But the Light Wand is a winner; we cry "Light! Light!" when it rolls under the crib, Daddy picks it up, and it comforts us while we drift to sleep.

 

[stitch_paradox]

I just gave my 3 yrs old baby girl a red mag solitaire, bright enough to play with but not to bright to affect the eyes. My baby loves it because she wants something just like daddy's. First I tried a keychain led but kid's tend to look at the light source directly, so my rule is if I look at the light source then my eyes squint then not for the kids.

 

[Illum]

a little safety tip....use blue loctite on the tail cap threads after you install the batts.....let it cure for a day or two and clean off the residue with rubbing alkyhol. It will too tough for the toddler to undo, but an adult can undo it
no prob.

so thats the reason eh?
I never figured whats the difference....I think I bought the wrong type [not for a flashlight but still ]

 

[Pydpiper]

Red is permanent, blue can be removed, with effort.