My mum however (my son's grandmum) says that as the baby is lying
awake for longer at night, we should put a small light in his room so
he can look around and play with toys in his cot until he goes to
sleep. I don't know if this is a good idea or not. I prefer him to
sleep in darkness if he can and also so that we don't have to disturb
him by going in later and turning the light off.

Who do you think is right? My mum who says we should have a dim light
in the room so my son can see around before going to sleep, or me who
thinks near darkness helps get the baby to sleep and is better during
the night anyway?

dd#1 (age 3) takes longer to go to sleep with a light. She's also more
likely to think of a reason for getting up again. If your child doesn't want
a light then I wouldn't think it is a good idea to introduce one. 2years old
is old enough to ask for one if he wants one.
Debbie