Have you gone through the toddler “I’m scared of the dark!” phase yet? It’s horrible. There isn’t a lot you can do other than fix the problem – they want a light!
We went through this stage for a couple months, and I tested out lot’s of different night lights to find the perfect combination to make sure nothing in the room was scary, but also dark enough so our son got some sleep.
After trying out a few that were great, and some that were not so great (and spending quite a bit of money finding all of that out), I would love to share our thoughts on what we tried so you can get an idea of how some of these contraptions worked or didn’t work for us!
All of them were purchased at Toys R Us since it’s only a short drive from our house.
This Planes night light didn’t last long! I bought it at Toys R Us, but couldn’t find it on their website (this Amazon one is very similar).
We didn’t like this one at all because it put off too much light, and the light bulb was exposed and got very hot! Whenever our son reached for it we freaked out because we didn’t want him to burn his hand.
Next up we tried the Cloud B – Dreamz To Go Zoo Friendz Monkey Nightlight. This one switched from three different colors, and projected stars and shapes on the ceiling and walls.
This one worked for us for about a week, but the issue was that eventually it shut off, and our son couldn’t turn it back on. It wasn’t soft enough to keep in his crib, so when we had it on his dresser, he couldn’t turn it back on if he got scared. He still likes to play with it in his tent, but it didn’t work for us if we woke up in the middle of the night scared of the dark.
Then there was Sulley. The Disney SoftPal Sulley Portable Night Light was super adorable! He was made of a rubbery sort of material, and he was portable as well. He would charge in the base, and then could be brought into the bed.
He was soft and squeezable – a great idea! He did not shed a lot of light, which was one issue, and he was really hard to actually keep on the base to charge. I had a really hard time actually getting him into the right spot to light up or charge on the base. Otherwise I really liked the idea of him, but he didn’t last long unfortunately.
One of the more successful night lights was the Cloud B – Twilight Turtle Night Light. This is one our son is still using right now. It’s partially soft and cuddly, but it also has a hard shell where the light leaks through. There are a few different setting so you can see stars on the ceiling in blue, green, or aquamarine, or by pressing a button you can just see some of his shell light up.
It has a 45 minute sleep timer, but leaving it in their bed allows them to easily turn it back on if they get scared. It even projects constellations, and there is a guide that comes with the turtle if you want to explain the star patterns. Big hit in our house since it can stay in bed like a stuffed animal, and our son can easily turn it on or change the settings.
Now for my favourite night light – the Gro Clock!
This one took some getting used to, but we can’t live without it now! It glows all night long, so it gives off a bit of light in the room. Honestly it doesn’t give off a lot of light, so our son also uses the Twilight Turtle in his bed.
The light comes with a book telling a story of a farm where the animals who rise when the sun comes up are happy, while the animal that rises earlier than the sunrise is very cranky. Loved this!
There is a setting for nap time, and for bed time. At the press of a button the yellow sun will set, while the light turns blue and the moon comes out. Stars line the moon and disappear as morning comes closer. Once morning comes (at the time you set it to come!) the sun rises, and the clock glows yellow.
It took us a couple weeks, but our son understands now that we won’t come to his room to get him until the sun rises on his grow clock. This wasn’t an easy lesson to teach, but now he doesn’t even try to leave his room until his clock glows yellow.
I love this clock. It acts as a nightlight, plus it’s taught him about when it’s time to go to sleep, and when it’s time to wake up.
Are there any night lights your child cannot live without? Let me know in the comments!
