Our DS who has always been a fab night sleeper (and a good daytime napper too from the age of about 20 weeks) has suddenly developed some fears about going to bed. It was all triggered by a trip to my sisters (where he's been lots before) where he cried a lot before going to sleep and I had to keep going back to him as he was so worried. I didn't let him cry himself to sleep - have never done that - but I think that he got upset enough that it has stayed with him. He is also talking alot about monsters, dragons, bears and about not wanting us to go downstairs when we say goodnight to him.
I am hoping that this is all just part and parcel of what happens with a little one (he's our first and every one of his phases that has disrupted sleep feels like the end of the world to me!!!) but I was wondering what you good folks would say about using a night light. Our DS has always slept in absolute darkness - in fact he was so sensitive to light as a baby that he'd wake up the moment the sun rose in the morning so we have black-outs on black-outs. But is this fear of going to sleep on his own made worse by the darkness? Could we get a light on a timer? Or is this likely to unsettle him even more?
Help - bedtimes are a sad old time in our house at the moment.