Four light sticks made for children, in purple, red and green, with lanyards.

Non-toxic and cool to the touch — Coghlan's words, and the two things that actually matter when you are handing a light source to a six-year-old. Nothing to burn them, nothing hot to drop on a tent floor, no batteries to get into.

A child who can see their own hands at a campsite stops being frightened of the dark very quickly. A child wearing one on a cord can also be found instantly, which is the reason most parents buy them.

A light stick needs no batteries, cannot be switched off once started, cannot start a fire and does not care about water. That is why they end up in glove boxes, life jackets and children's hands — there is nothing to fail and nothing to go wrong.

Note: Coghlan's does not state glow time or the light source for this product, so we have not claimed either. The 4-pack of assorted sticks on this site is rated up to 12 hours if duration matters to you.