Nearly all children have been through a stage of being afraid of the dark.  This might not ever actually manifest itself as an actual fear in many cases, sometimes the light is just required as a type of security to make them feel more comfortable, but in either case this is something that many parents concern themselves with.

Should I be worried?

This is the question they ask themselves and the answer is quite simply “no you shouldn’t.”  If your child needs a little light in order to have a restful night’s sleep then so be it.  This is much better than forcing them to sleep in the dark; this will only serve to upset them and make the problem worse.

Many parents and older siblings can’t get to sleep however if you leave on a landing light outside the child’s door.  As grownups we are quite used to sleeping in the dark and in many cases need to, otherwise we wouldn’t sleep at all.

The Solution?

Many parents try to wait until their child is asleep and then they switch off the light outside the room.  This only causes upset if the child wakes in the middle of the night, and if you have told them they can have the light on it may lead to distrust if you suddenly begin switching it off when they’re asleep.

Nightlights are probably the best solution whilst your child goes through this stage.  Night lights are available in all sort of shapes and sizes and many are in funky colours or animal shapes.  Leaving a nightlight in child’s bedroom or nursery will enable them to get the comfort and security of a light and also enable everyone else in the house to get a good night’s sleep without being bothered by the landing light.

Natural progression

Your child will naturally grow out of sleeping with nightlights in their own time.  If you suggest it to them occasionally you will plant seeds that will get them thinking about it again, and eventually help them break the cycle; do not under any circumstance tell them that they have to do it.