4.5 year old sleeping with light on

[stclair]

For the past 6 months DD1 has had spurts of imagining monsters in her room etc so has been sleeping with the lights on in her room. We are going to have family to stay for a few weeks so will need to move DD2 (17 months) to share her room. Does anyone have any tips on how to 'wean' off having the lights on? Night lights are not good enough, apparently!

We use a wind up torch that gradually fades throuhout the night.

Can you not turn it off when she's asleep or does that wake her?

She always wakes some point in the night and turns it back on. Wind up torch, what length of time does it fade over?

Dimmer switch on the light so that when she turns it back on it's not very bright?

Wind up torch: it depends on how much you wind it up!

Good ideas ladies but she turns the dimmer switch on to full herself. Gah! I wonder how long this being scared of the dark phase lasts for?

I'm not too keen on the dark so I guess I never did grow out of it.I can't sleep in a pitch dark room even now and like a hint of light from somewhere

Get DD2 to sleep first then have a low wattage lamp near DD1's bed is my suggestion.Your dd2 would probably sleep through a certain amount of light.

Could you not have the door open with the hall light on and when you got to bed turn it off

Both dd(7) and ds (3) insist on having a light on all night. I've given up trying to do anything else. They are both good sleepers and in fact they'll only disturb dh and I if they wake up and find the lights are out.

Cheap little lava lamps from pound shops, stock up and replace as necessary. Child wakes, shakes light and watches glitter twirl and the light then fades off. Child will get bored and fall back to sleep once they know they can wake and shake at any time!

Also my fairly big DDs still have a plug in glo plug, just enough light to get out of bed and to bathroom safely. Makes a muted sort of light patch, just right.

Plug in "moonlight" night light on all night in DS (4) room. He still wakes sometimes with nightmares but has a torch by his bed, but still cries and needs cuddles. A phase I believe I went through too.