Do your children have a (soft) light on in their bedrooms at night?

[Chuffinnora]

If not why not? Are you concerned about their eyesight or do they not need one. DD and DS sleep much better with nightlights on all night but I feel they should sleep in the dark, not sure why I think this. What do you think?

[fishie]

yes and so do i

[BettySpaghetti]

DD (8) -no, hasn't done for years

DS (3) -small plug-in night light so that he can find the potty if he needs it

[Hulababy]

Yes, DD has a light on when she goes up - one of those torch/lamp type ones, so it is a very sof light. She sometimes has her fairy lights on around the window instead. She also has the door open with the landing light on. She doesn't like sleeping in the dark at all. I turn the lamp/fairy lights off when we go to bed, the landing light stays on.

[tortoise]

My DD's(3&4) have a night light on.
My DS's(8&10) don't.
Hall light(bottom of the stairs) is on all night too so they can see to go to the loo.

[Bodkin]

I used to have to have the landing light on as a kid. As an adult though, I can't bear even a chink of light in the bedroom. I don't think nightlights create bad habits or bad sleep - I think they provide a lot of reassurance for kids. It's dark out there - there may well be monsters for all they know

[hunkermunker]

Yes, they have Ikea nightlights. Well, DS1 has them all night (like him to have something in case he gets up in the night) and DS2 has them on till we come to bed as he's still in with us.

There was a discredited study about 10 years ago that said something about not sleeping in pitch black causing poor eyesight.

[mrspnut]

DD2 has a nightlight but she's only 18 months and it's to encourage her to amuse herself when she wakes during the night.

Unfortunately it doesn't work and she's been up late and in our bed every night since we moved her into a bed on friday.

[Chuffinnora]

I used to turn off all their lights except the dim est but they get up in the night and come into our room. When the lights stay on they stay on bed. DD is 6 and really doesn't like the dark. She has one of those torch light, some fairy lights and a globe light. I need darkness to sleep so I can't cope with the landing light on. Don't you need darkness for the sleep hormones to be produced (a very woolly thought alert)?

[Orinoco]

Message withdrawn

[Olihan]

Ds1 (4yo) has a plug in nightlight because he's going through a phase of having nightmares and being afraid of the dark. Dd (2.5) just has the landing light through a crack in her door and ds2 (12mo) sleeps in total darkness.

If it comforts them and helps them to sleep better then there's no reason why they shouldn't have one.

[lazarou]

I leave the landing light on it's dimmest setting so there is a soft light going into theirs and our room.

[WendyWeber]

All of ours did when they were little - v v dim, about 15w - not as feeble as one of those plug-in ones but honestly not enough to have any effect (and it meant we could always go in and check without turning one on and startling them).

They are all short-sighted though

(But they got that from me, blind as a bat, so it's just a coincidence, honest )

[hippipotami]

Ds (age 8) sleeps in the dark. Has done since age 6 (his choice) Before then he had a small plug in nightlight.

Dd (age just 5) sleeps with her main bedroom light on. But it is on a dimmer so it is errr...dim!

She also sleeps with her bedroom door open, does not want to be alone and has various anxiety issues, so I think it is fine for her to have a dim light on if it makes her feel happier. We did try her with a plug in nightlight but it was not enough light for her.

[NewYearNewCatkin]

DS is 7 months and his room is pitch black (blackout curtains and door closed). He sleeps very well (at the moment anyway!! ) He has to be awake when we put him to bed though because if we put him down already asleep and he wakes up in the dark he screams blue murder. If he goes to sleep in his cot then wakes up later though, he's absoutely fine!

[LyraSilvertongue]

DSs have a nightlight so they can find the potty in the dark (we only have a downstairs loo). It's from Ikea and it switches itself off during the day.

[Chuffinnora]

So it looks like I'm worrying for nothing. (not a normal mothers trait eh?) Thanks for all the replies. I shall leave on the lights and they may continue to reward me with a nights sleep.

[Jacanne]

We leave the bathroom light on (low energy bulb) for them. If we turn it off, even when we go to bed, they wake more often. Night light = more sleep for me.