Sk68 with low battery and maybe fixed to flood maybe….
Or a two AA light modded with a 5mm led and diffuser film on the lens… Maybe you can find an old incandescent and mod it like that.
There are also these cheap AA LEDs with a simple 5mm strawhat led often there was police written on the side. Not very bright but also very low quality, I had a bunch which all had a smelling tailcapbutton…
+1 vote for the sk68. If you are lucky it is very tough and will be years of fun, and you can put your discarded batteries in it for low enough output.
My son loved sharp edges when he was 1, feeling them in his mouth, he would have been fascinated by the sk68. Put some glue in the threads against unscrewing.
I agree with the SK68 clone suggestion: very cheap, use nearly-expended alkaline primaries and fix the unscrewing and lock it in flood problems with a little superglue.
I bought one a couple of years ago, and it stands up very well to kid-abuse.
Although it says 60 lumens; it’s not, it’s about 15 lumens on a AA battery. And although it says warm white LED; it’s not, it’s a standard cheap cool white.
But, it’s still a great 1-mode light. No small parts for a kid to swallow, and the tail cap screws on pretty tight so it won’t fall apart easily under abuse. Standard 1xAA battery, so you don’t have to worry about lithium-ion dangers. Big enough to hand-hold with ease. Despite being a cheap light, I’m surprised it has handled a fair amount of drops, etc. But if your kid loses it, no big deal.
I’m sure there are plenty like it. I just gave one example that I know is not too bright. It can be hard to buy a LED light that isn’t very bright nowadays, especially in the AA size or larger.
Install a translucent UV filter lens to prevent eye damage. If you can’t comfortably stare directly into the light then it is too bright. I suggest a moon light only mod. That would have been good for my kids since they always fell asleep with the light on and complained about dead batteries.
Whatever you decide, please keep all button cells far away from your baby. If swallowed, the internal injuries are horrific and can cause death.
My first Grandbaby recently arrived and I have to fight the urge to build a fortress around her. I don’t remember being so careful with my own kids. Meh, they survived.
Just for kicks, while I decide on which flashlight to get as a suitable, safe replacement… I decided to tear down the X1. It proved very difficult, but I found a freezing method on the “other” forum that worked very well.
Led, moon mode driver, li-ion cell, wireless charge receiver, and accelerometer all hermetically sealed in a clear resin rubber ball. Only lights when it bounces, no loose parts to swallow, rechargeable. If you keep raising the g force limit and by the time they let women pitch in the majors she can throw a 100mph fastball. There’s your retirement investment.
As some others mentioned, and SK68. they are tough, no glass lens to break, and even adding a piece of wax paper under the dome lens would make it less blinding. they also come in many colors too on ebay for less than a couple bucks each.
If you’re concerned about any potential health issues like dodgy paint or blinding issues (nothing to stop a kid looking away though - that’s a natural reflex action and one that could be quickly learned - plus, you don’t teach a kid that a fire is hot by showing them a pic of one…) why not buy a kids torch from Early Learning Centre or equivalent? He/she can always move up to real flashlights when a touch older?
As it happens, my daughter has a SK68 clone she fiddles with - no cell in it - always under our supervision.
My 2 year old loves flashlights so I gave her a BLF 348 that I resistor modded to a very low moon level. She put it in her mouth all the time when I first gave it to her, but I’d just take the battery out and let it dry for a day or two. I’d recommend one of those and a lithium energizer primary.