GOLD Learning Speakers

The sleep of young babies is biologically driven, firstly by feeding patterns and the limitations of brain development, and over time by an emerging circadian clock. The sleep patterns of parents are environmentally driven, by work and social schedules, 24-hour culture and use of digital technology. How do parents ‘manage’ night-time infant care and the sleep conflicts inherent in contemporary life? How are digital media influencing parental knowledge, expectations, and behaviour? Our research finds an emerging dichotomy in maternal ‘sleep narratives’ that are reinforced by the use of phone apps to monitor and manage infant sleep, online discussions where mothers share their experiences and techniques, and websites promoting infant sleep products. The potential for using digital media to inform parents about babies’ biological needs at night will be explored using examples from our experiences of developing and implementing website, phone app, social media and video podcast information sources for infant sleep.

In this talk we will explore research that examines normal infant sleep development and consider the factors that affect infant sleep such as what babies are fed, where they sleep, and how we interact with them. We will compare human babies with those of other mammals and think about the ways in which biology leads to different caregiving needs and styles. Using the research we have conducted at Durham Parent-Infant Sleep Lab, and that of other infant sleep researchers, we will consider what we know about parental attitudes and practices regarding night-time infant care, and practical issues such as parental tiredness, bedsharing, and sleep safety. Please note, that this presentation is based on the research evidence up to 2013/2014 but has not been updated.

Many assumptions exist about the origins and purpose of baby-boxes and their use as a safe infant sleep space; this misinformation needs correcting, especially as it relates to SIDS-reduction. Baby-box schemes take multiple forms from those motivated by social welfare to those motivated by commercial profit. Programmes offering carboard baby boxes to parents in England began in some NHS Trusts in 2016. We examined the pros and cons of English baby-box schemes via an independent evaluation conducted using telephone interviews and online surveys with healthcare providers and parents in all 7/9 NHS regions of England where baby-box schemes were established 2017-2019. The objectives were to produce recommendations for organisations considering involvement in future schemes. We found baby-box schemes changed over time, and were complex to run and monitor. Both parents and practitioners were misinformed about their purpose and origins. The English experience of partnership schemes between healthcare facilities and commercial box-providers reveals some success stories, along with multiple points of ambiguity, unanticipated difficulty, and concerns for infant safety. Sixteen recommendations are proposed for healthcare providers and organisations considering commercial - health-provider baby-box partnerships in future.