Ah, the Sleep Challenges!

My son had similar issues @ 4 (he's 5 now), so I understand! One night I sat in his room w/thelights off and door closed and we just sat on his bed. I told him whenever he got scared while I was there to tell me. We would hear noises and see shadows from car light going by and talked about them. It was neat b/c I got to explain those small noises and movement to him, right then and there, and he got to see that there wasn't anything to be scared of. But in reality, I know his claim being scared and all that was a ploy to stay awake longer.

I did the same thing during a thunderstorm. It was loud and windy and it kind of scared me! But again, I was able to explain the clap of thunder was just that - thunder - while sitting on his bed w/him. It wasn't the house falling down, it wasn't someone banging on the window - it was just nature.

See if that works!

My almost 4 y.o. sleeps with his lamp (on his dresser) on all night.

In our house, we assume that it's BS about 95% of the time! When my daughter, who has been a great sleeper for all of her 3 and a half years, all of a sudden is "scared" of the dark, we listen and then turn out her light as always. My son tried the scared of the dark routine, too. My husband, to be nice, got him a nightlight for his room. That resulted in my son messing around in his room, playing and looking at books, waaaay past his bedtime. The nightlight is now in the hallway. I know that there are kids who are truly frightened of the dark--they are just not my kids. And the reason I know they are trying to be manipulative is because I know them and how they are. I think if you suspect that your son is manipulating you, then you know what's really going on. I think kids have been trying this since the beginning of time. You don't have to be mean or cruel about getting him to sleep in his own bed ALL NIGHT. Once per night wakeups will hopefully become a thing of the past if you lay down the law firmly but lovingly. Sorry about the disorganized answer, I still need some coffee.