What if there was a way to get your toddler to play more in the dark? Would that reduce any fear of the dark they might have?
There’s a reason why kids might be terrified of the dark. At that young age, their imagination is as active and wild as it can get. Every time the light goes off, their mind plays a little yet unpleasant game.
“There are monsters under the bed!”
“Remember the scary man you saw on Halloween? He’s hiding in the closet!”
And, the child’s inability to differentiate fantasy from reality means that they will, in fact, “see” these monsters. Such terrifying experiences can affect a kid’s sleep quality and routine. They can make them completely uncomfortable even in the slightest of darkness – like when you’re out camping.
You don’t want that! What you want is the best glow-in-the-dark toy for toddlers to ease them into being comfortable with darkness as they grow older.
Apart from providing some light, these toys come with tons of benefits.
Let’s not even talk about how “lit” (no pun intended) your kids’ parties will be. You might win yourself a Parent of the Year award! The only thing you have to do is choose the best glow-in-the-dark toys for toddlers. That’s why we have this review – to narrow down your choices.
5 Best Glow In The Dark Toys For Toddlers
1. 4M Glow Planets & Nova Stars
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Is your little one enthused by astronomy and the shiny night sky? Or perhaps you’re looking for the perfect educational toy to introduce him/her to the stars and planets? This set by 4M may help.
Standout Features
- Set of 9 planets and 20 stars
- Uses regular light bulb to recharge
- Attachable to wall or ceiling
- Soft and sleep-inducing glow
- It glows for about 20 minutes
Reasons to buy the 4M Glow Planets & Nova Stars
Great for learning: the one thing that makes this set one of the best glow-in-the-dark toys for toddlers is education. It includes 9 very realistic planets and 20 stars. When not using it to light up your baby’s room, you can use it to introduce him/her to the solar system and the concept of galaxies.
Easy to attach: The package includes adhesive tape for attaching each star and planet to the wall or ceiling. You can also use a store-purchased double-sided tape or glue, although the latter can damage your wall paint.
Toddler-friendly: while the planets are made of paper, the stars are created using soft foam. That’s why the toy is recommended for kids as young as 3 years.
Affordable: You’ll have to look really hard to find glow dark toys that can beat this price!
Cons
- 20-minute glow time may be too short
2. Educational Insights Playfoam Glow in The Dark
It’s not the most educational toy (despite the name), but Playfoam may be the most therapeutic glow-in-the-dark toy for toddlers. The material used – tiny foam balls – make it soft enough for a toddler yet less messy and easy to clean.
Standout Features
- 8 packs of play foam in different colors
- Soft-textured foam beads are easy to squish, squash and mold
- Glows softly when there’s darkness
- Made with non-toxic, non-allergenic, latex-free, BPA-free & PVC-free materials
Reasons to Buy the Educational Insights Playfoam Glow in The Dark
Therapeutic toy: just like stress balls, Playfoam releases anxiety and stress when the child squeezes it repeatedly. It may come in handy when they are struggling to go to sleep.
Encourages creative play: Playfoam is extremely malleable. You and your baby can turn into creatives by molding and sculpting them into all kinds of shapes and objects. You can teach them what each of those shapes and objects is called.
Soft, relaxing glow: I’ll be upfront with you. Playfoam’s glow is too soft, almost unnoticeable. You can’t really use it as an alternative to the main bulb in a room. But it does have a little lighting effect when the room is too dark.
You can use it during the day and at night: it’s not one of those only use toys when there’s darkness (like the 4M Glow Planets & Nova Stars). Your little one can squish, squash, and sculpt small figures from Playfoam at any time of the day.
Cons
- The beads don’t stick together when they get wet
- It doesn’t come with a storage container
3. Konsait Glow in The Dark Stickers
The set of 9 planets and 20 stars in the 4M Glow Planets & Nova Stars is pretty cool. But if you feel like the pieces are too few for your baby’s liking, you could go for this set instead. It has a total of 435 pieces!
Standout Features
- Set of 435 stickers featuring one moon, 27 stars, and several dots (planets)
- Planets come in varying sizes
- Pieces are luminous and produce a soft glow
- Made with durable, waterproof vinyl
Reasons to Buy the Konsait Glow in The Dark Stickers
Educational: there’s a moon, 27 stars, and 407 dots in this package. Granted, the dots don’t quite resemble planets. But you can arrange them to look like the solar system. And, their fairly large number (total of 407 dots) makes this set perfect for introducing your little astronomer to Hubble’s concept of infinite worlds – bigger dots are planets, and smaller ones are distant stars.
Many pieces: the good people at Konsait know that everything is subject to wear, tear, and damage. Heck, you could even lose a piece unknowingly! That’s why they have 435 of them in this set. If one gets damaged or lost, you can easily replace it with another. Of course, that excludes the moon, which is only one, but it’s big that you won’t lose it.
Source of soft light: these luminous pieces glow for up to 6 hours when charged for 30 minutes using a light bulb. When your little one goes to bed, you won’t have to leave the main light to scare monsters. These will get the job done while at the same time creating a sedative mood.
Completely safe for kids (and adults): each piece is made of vinyl, a totally safe material. Besides being waterproof, the pieces are very durable and easy to stick on the wall or ceiling.
Cons
- Some pieces, especially the small ones, are hard to remove from the wall once attached.
4. Edushape Glow In The Dark Sensory Ball
Just in case you didn’t know, sensory balls are invaluably beneficial to a toddler’s development. They stimulate multiple senses, including sight and touch, encourage imaginative play, facilitate exploration, improve fine and gross motor skills, help with visual tracking, facilitate social play, and so much more.
That’s why they make the best glow in the dark toys for toddlers.
And as far as individual products go, not many can match the Edushape Glow In The Dark Sensory Ball.
Standout Features
- Made with a nubbly surface for easy handling
- 7 inches in size, yet weighs only 5 ounces
- Squeezable but doesn’t squeak or lose shape
- Made using BOA-free PVC
Reasons to Buy the Edushape Glow In The Dark Sensory Ball
Great for toddler growth and development: every time your child rolls, bounces, squeezes, or grips the ball, it aids in the growth of motor skills, sensory development, hand-eye coordination, reasoning skills, and so much more. Plus, it’s a good source of exercise for the child.
Perfectly sized for a toddler: 7 inches and 5 ounces is a great size for a kid. They can grip the nubbly surface, roll it around the room or toss it back and forth with a friend. However, they use it, and the ball won’t cause any harm.
BPA-free: speaking of harm, the PVC used to make this ball is BPA-free. In other words, it’s not a health risk to your little one.
Glows with bright light: most of the toys that glow in the dark come as a set of many pieces. That’s how they can produce adequate light. This one is just one piece, yet it produces more than enough light to fill up a toddler’s room. It glows much better when recharged using sunlight.
Cons
- It may start to deflate after about 3 months of use.
- No option for choosing your preferred color when buying
5. Outee Mochi Animals Stress Toys
Mochi squeeze toys are among the best at relieving stress and anxiety in toddlers. This set contains 30 pieces that your little one can squeeze to increase brain activity, improve blood circulation, reduce anxiety, and increase focus. And they all glow!
Standout Features
- Set of 30 pieces of roughly 1.9 inches each
- Each piece is shaped like an animal
- Glow in different colors, from green to pink
- Made with TPR, which is washable with water
Reasons to Buy the Outee Mochi Animals Stress Toys
Great educational toy: you can use this set to introduce your child to animals like turtles, hares, bears, and many other common animals. They’re all there, and there’s no perfect time to start your preschool teaching than when he/she is a toddler.
Therapeutic: the pieces in this set are soft to the touch, pinch-able, and squeezable. When your little one looks stressed, they can play with them to relieve anxiety and sadness and channel their focus on the toys.
Easy to clean: When they get dirty, throw them in water and wipe off the dirt, and they’ll be clean as new. You can let your toddler play with them in the tub. Just remember to be there as well because they are small enough to swallow.
Affordable: the bang for buck value of this toy is pretty amazing. The entire set costs less than a drive-through meal!
Cons
- The small size (1.9 inches) means that you have to supervise whenever your toddler(s) is(are) playing with them.
Conclusion
Say goodbye to darkness with any of those products!
They are the best glow-in-the-dark toys for toddlers because of their versatility. You can use them to play games with your little one or spice up a children’s party.
When the sun sets and it’s bedtime, you can leave them on in your child’s bedroom. The soft light they produce makes them perfect bedtime toys.
