DS (20 months) suddenly not liking door shut

[boopdoop]

Just checking if this is normal... DS has always been a horrendous sleeper, did sleep training which works, but regularly gets broken by the smallest things... Last week was teething and ill so was wrecked again, now working on getting back to better sleep but he's suddenly started being really upset when we close his door - never used to bother him before. Is this a usual thing around this age?

I can sometimes get it shut by closing it really really really slowly over a couple of minutes, but not sure what to do for the best. Persevere in shutting it, just let him have it open (worried he'll be more disturbed with noise from downstairs, when we walk past etc), close it but have a nightlight on (not too keen on this).

Any thoughts, advice, suggestions? TIA

To be honest my first thought was leave the door open! It probably isn't great being shut in the dark.

Leave it open. He's probably scared. One thing about sleep training is that it is almost never a permanent solution - babies change all the time and you might want to question whether it is worth it! It's probably more work than just rolling with it tbh.

Could you try getting him a little nightlight? My DS started waking in the middle of the night and not settling till a lamp was on, a nightlight was the solution.

DD (2.5) went through a long phase of wanting her door open about 5 months ago. Was a nightmare as we lived in a tiny flat so we were creeping around and whispering and couldn't watch telly until she fell asleep each night. like all things, it passed and now she likes her door shut again.

If you really don't want his open, could you get him a night light or some glow in the dark stickers to see if that entices him to want his room dark?

Could you leave it but close it once asleep? Dd is also 20 months and although not got a problem with the door, it is clearly a time they fix onto things. She is obsessed with things being hot.

Just this week I saw a fantastic solution to the problem we (I) have of not wanting to shut the door on dd but needing to block her off so she's not in the thick of things like light, so much sound, walking past the room etc. On the Ikea website in children's room ideas one of the rooms has a long curtain over the door!
It'd probably look awful in real life but it would solve the problems I have.