A little flashlight for the little one......

[Luvmyfam3]

My boyfriend's daughter is 3 1/2 and I was thinking of buying her some kind of little flashlight with Mickey's head on it or something that she could hold at night or in a dark ride to make her feel better. I'm sure they have these things at Disney, but have you gotten one before leaving? Where? I'm sure they're cheaper!

Thanks!

 

[Disneychix]

I got a small fan at Walmart (with foam blades so it is child safe) and it has a flashlight built in. Perhaps this would be a good idea? It's not MICKEY but maybe you could put stickers on it?

It also had a hook to hook it on a belt loop or bag.

 

[clairemolly]

We bought a pen from Barnes & Noble in the Children's area for our upcoming Oct trip. It lights up in multiple colors and is on a lanyard so my DD can wear it around her neck. I bought Minnie, but they have a ton of characters...including the princesses.

We used a plain pen on 2006 and it worked great...she was almost 3 and even rode Haunted Mansion without getting scared.

 

[Emma's Dad]

I don't know about the Mickey head flashlight, but when we were at WDW this past April, my DD(5) carried one of these with her for those "dark" rides. The LED light is REALLY bright, though!

Another thing we picked up at WDW that DD really liked was the Tinkerbell light you can get with the kids drink. I forgot which restaurant we got it from, but they seemed to be in several places.

 

[tomboy_m]

They have a large variety of small flashlights in all of the resort gift shops for under $10. everything from mickey mouse to light sabers. We have used one for dark rides for the past 2 years with my DD 4. It has been really helpful. I have had her shoot the bad guys on the dark rides... it never was bright enough to cause a problem for other guests and it really did make her less afraid. She also has used both of the ones we purchased at WDW a lot at home. She likes everything we buy at Disney more than any of her other toys... must be from all of the great memories.
Good Luck.

 

[Manda]

I buy myself a Glow-tini on the first day there and then my son carries the glowing ice cube around with him for the rest of the trip as his dark ride light. Works out well for both of us.

 

[Luvmyfam3]

Thanks for all these WONDERFUL ideas!!! (I especially love the Glow-tini since I get something for myself...) I knew y'all would have the answer!!

 

[Schmeck]

As long as the child is instructed to keep the light shining down on the footrest area, and is well supervised, I think a very weak, small flashlight would be a great comfort for a little one on some of the darker, yet tame rides. But nothing can ruin a ride experience for everyone faster than having a child shining a flashlight into the dark areas of an attraction - it's dark for a reason, so you don't see the mechanisms making everything work!

The OP will find a ton of light-up toys at WDW, at varying prices - but I think a simple glowstick could suffice? Or maybe even something that glows in the dark - it could be recharged during the day. Would it be too hard to keep it glowing at night though, unless you went in a shop or bathroom to get light?

 

[Jaymie]

We bought a Mcqueen and a Mater key chain and it had a little button that would pop the hood and it had a tiny light in it. It worked perfect for our 3.5 yr old. I was sitting next to him and couldn't even tell when it was on, but it made him feel safer.

 

[Luvmyfam3]

Oh my gosh, she LOVES Cars!! Did you get that keychain at WDW or did you find it beforehand??

 

[Girly_Qs]

We bought a pen from Barnes & Noble in the Children's area for our upcoming Oct trip. It lights up in multiple colors and is on a lanyard so my DD can wear it around her neck. I bought Minnie, but they have a ton of characters...including the princesses.

We used a plain pen on 2006 and it worked great...she was almost 3 and even rode Haunted Mansion without getting scared.

We got those same pens for my girls for our trip this September! Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty (I just can't call her Aurora!) for my princess crazy girls!

I also hope that they'll work for Character Autographs, since they're kinda chunky (easy to hold)!

In a pinch (like we were last year on HM), a cell phone works too!

 

[Jaymie]

Oh my gosh, she LOVES Cars!! Did you get that keychain at WDW or did you find it beforehand??

We got the keychains at Meijer and I've seen them at Target.