Crank-operated camping lantern stands in for a night light -- no batteries required

Julia's money-saving, battery-saving, fear-of-the-dark solution:

Sometimes a night light just isn’t enough for our sometimes dark-shy five year old. She was begging to take battery-operated flashlights to bed with her each night but we quickly grew tired of the incessant need to replace the batteries after the flashlight was left on a night or two in a row. Cue the crank-operated camping lantern. We just crank it up at bed time and its light lasts until she’s asleep but extinguishes well before morning’s first light.

So smart. There are also crank flashlights, if those work better for you.

Comments

[Kathleen McDade]

Now pondering whether this would help my youngest child fall asleep or whether she would stay up all night turning the handle. :-) Seriously, though, sounds like a good idea. Might try this with the one who likes to read and fall asleep with the light on.

[Mrs. Mordecai]

We have done the same thing, but the crank lights are pretty loud. Instead, we use a flashlight that recharges by plugging in.

[rosie]

we also love this, from ikea:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00064445

[tlwpeanut@gmail.com]

We gave our daughter a rechargeable LED flashlight for this purpose. It lasts all night and then we plug it in every morning. She woke me up in the middle of the night to tell me she couldn't find it (she'd turned it off and it fell off her bed), so I'm thinking that the crank one wouldn't work since she'd want to have light available all night.

[Emily]

We gave our son a solar-powered garden light for this purpose. He brings it outside in the morning and lets the sun do its thing, and then at bedtime we go retrieve it (and take the sharp stake off it), and then prop it up against the wall in his room. The light slowly extinguishes as the night wears on and there's no cost to run it. We're big on "natural consequence" parenting, so after a few nights of not having it due to forgetting to bring it outside in the morning or forgetting to bring it in at night, he's also learned the need for personal responsibility and making sure he takes care of his own nightlight.

[sleepaway camp]

It is very earth friendly as well. Batteries are quite toxic and most people dispose them on the camping site. This will be my choice for the camp.