Night light. It works, but am I creating a future issue?

[*Jo*]

Eden is 5.5 months old and generally sleeps pretty amazing. She self settled til about 4 months old then needed some patting assistance to get to sleep. We found that our night light (orange glowing stars) seemed to calm her easily too. We didn't want to create a prop so haven't used it a lot however when she's been OT or hard to settle we've found if we turn it on she will look at it for ages and then fall asleep.
She's been sick and in hosp with bronchiolitis last week and gotten into an OT pattern, even having NWS of 1-2 hours where she's just chatting the entire time.
Again tonight she went to bed and was chatting for 20mins before I decided it was going to send her into further OT after a day of bad naps so went to pat her which was doing nothing.
So I turned on the night light and watched her. She watched it for about 5 mins, laughing and smiling at it before just turning away and falling asleep suddenly. It was amazing to watch.

I remember Tracy always said don't hang things over their heads as it's overstimulating and they can't look away from it so I was worried about that. Am I creating an issue for the future tho? That she may become reliant on this to sleep?? She's always loved looking at it
Here's the nightlight

[creations]

I don't think it's an issue - I think Tracy had highly stimulating colourful and noisy "stuff" in mind when she said don't hang anything over baby's head.  Your night light is producing a strong tonal contrast (light and dark) which is a great focal point for the seven mile stare Tracy describes. LOs find strong tonal contrasts easier to focus on and it sounds like your LO is just using this light to focus and relax, if she's always loved it then she might have found it useful for her seven mile stare when she was younger and now already it helps her relax and sleep.
I wouldn't worry about it.  It's sort of like putting white noise on in that the parent has to do it and it's a sort of "prop" in a way but it's not considered one because you don't have to keep going back for it, you can just leave it.
I suppose there could be an issue with her needing it in the night to resettle but then would it be so bad to leave it on all night?
it could be an issue if you went away on holiday and couldn't take it or recreate the light for holiday sleeps but then we don't recreate the entire bedroom for holidays do we - we just accept sleep might be harder for a few nights.

Really sorry to hear she was so poorly - I hope she's on the mend and makes a quick recovery x

[*Jo*]

Thanks my other three needed pitch black to sleep and she is just such a different sleeper to them. I'll keep it on and hope it helps get her back on track!

[We Three]

 I put fairy lights in dd's room when she was a newborn, so I could see at night to feed her without turning the lights on. Did she become reliant on them? Absolutely. Do I care? Not one bit.     She still has them at 10 years old and nobody minds.  It's a tiny strand of 25 lights, on top pf her armoire.  On vacation I just bring a nightlight, she has never minded. Granted, they aren't over her head, and never were, but  I don't mind baby getting "hooked" on something if it's not something that will need to be taken away at some point. Kwim? Like, I gave her a lovey in the HOPES that she'd get hooked!

 I'd get another set for future backup (or 5...LOL.....) and I might move them across the room but well within her line of sight. But other than that I'd not give it another thought.