Three-year-old suddenly scared to sleep alone after hearing neighbours

[Jessier2000]

Has anyone else experienced their child all of a sudden becoming scared to sleep in their own room? My son has always been the best sleeper. He’ll sleep 10-12 hours from 7pm every day, and has always been flexible around his routine if he was out late. Sound machine on, door closed, night light and Toni box on. The last two nights, he keeps saying “they’re noisy” (we live in a downstairs flat). They may have made noise once a couple of days ago, but any time I went in there, there was absolutely no noise. Last night it took almost 2 hours to get him to sleep, back and forward of him coming out of his room, me putting him back in, then half an hour of stroking his hair to sleep. He woke up at 3am and ended up in our bed. This is so unlike him, and I don’t know what to do to get him back in his room. Last night we opened the window and we listened to the neighbours kids splashing in the pool and making noise, and I told him that is where the noise is coming from, and that they will go to bed soon.

any advice? He’s 3yrs and 5 months

I would think he just needs his confidence building back up, something had shocked or scared him.

Could you stay with him while he goes to sleep for a few nights to help him settle?

Could it just be the heat that's keeping him awake? My DS is a great sleeper but has struggled more so the last few nights?

I do think the heat is a contributing factor, for sure! But this looked like pure fear of this noise that was no longer there, and it was so uncharacteristic too! He’s always loved his sleep, and has always self settled since he was young! I tried to talk to him about this noise, we opened the window and listened, turned off the sound machine and sat there in the silence, but the second I left the room he went back to screaming!

Yes I think something has definitely spooked him, and his imagination must be growing! I stated for a while last night to settle him until he fell asleep, he woke half an hour later, and I did the same thing again! He then woke in the middle of the night screaming, both me and my partner work full time, so we let him into our bed, but we don’t want to make a habit of it!