Do your children sleep with the light off?

[marthamoo]

Ds1 has slept with the main overhead room light on for as long as I can remember (at least 5 years - he is almost 8). For the last few weeks ds2 (just 3) has been saying he doesn't like the dark corners of his room (he has a bedside light wich can be adjusted from bright to dim). Tonight he really kicked off about the shadows so I put the big light on and he went to sleep without a problem. So I guess I now have two children who sleep with the light on - good job I have energy saving bulbs!

Just interested to know how many other children are out there who won't sleep in the dark.

Btw, I slept with the light on til I was about 14...

My dd (although not quite 2) used to sleep in pitch dark. Now however she sleeps with a lava lamp on in her bedroom. she was going on about scary shadows - but we've told her that shadows can't hurt her and mummy daddy and dd's shadows are nice. Don't know how long it'll will continue but i see no problem with a night light. Me and my brother slept with landing light on til we were 11 and 14.Think it's pretty normal for kids to sleep with light on.

As babies both ds and dd slept far better in pitch black (quite hard to achieve in a London flat with a brightly lit tower block opposite!) but ds, just turned four has recently started wanting a little light to get off to sleep - we just leave the landing light on and his door open a crack. I hope that remains enough, but as I remember my own deep fear of the dark as a child (which pathetically is still with me 30 years later ) if he wants a proper night light, I will get one for him.

I'm late to add to this thread but dd1 who's 7 sleeps in the dark, she always has and it's never been a problem. dd2 is only 8 months and still sleeps in our room but she has to be totally in the dark with the door shut before she'll sleep.
I always leave the hall light on in case dd1 gets up through the night, we have an energy saving bulb in the hall.

When I was little I always went to sleep with the light on then my mum would put if off after I was asleep. I finally learnt to sleep in the dark when I started going to my dads house and had to share a room with my stepsister, who slept in the dark. She had a dimmer switch in her room and my dad would put it quite low then lower then lower and then I was quite happy to sleep in the dark.
I'm ok sleeping in the dark so long as there is some faint street light shining through the curtains, I can't sleep if it's totally dark i.e can't see your hand in front of your face dark, that's just to scary

I leave the hall landing light on - gives enough light if anyone needs the toilet during the night. No lights in rooms, but bedroom doors open.

I remember being terrified of the dark when I was little and would never be cruel enough to insist on my children sleeping in complete darkness! Ikea does have great lights, like the one my dd calls her "ice-cube light" (it looks like a big ice cube and her curious little brother cannot burn himself on it). You can buy a low-wattage energy-saving bulb for it and it will not overheat.