GOLD Learning Speakers

Parents experience a lack of formal and informal education on normal newborn sleep patterns. This absence of information through group prenatal classes or perinatal appointments with healthcare providers results in unrealistic expectations of life with their newborn. Coupled with geographic isolation from extended family support systems or extended family members who have different recollections of newborn sleep patterns, parents turn to crowdsourcing information on social media. The prolific advertising of sleep training on social media platforms increases parental fear, leaving parents overwhelmed with the increasingly contradictory information on sleep and strategies for coping. This presentation will address the situations that lead to unsafe bed sharing and social pressure to sleep train. Participants will have an understanding of the concerns that parents bring to sleep classes for both infants and toddlers. Collaborative strategies for responsive nighttime parenting that respects brain development; attachment theory, nighttime feeds, and balanced with parents need for sleep and self-care will be the focus. Opportunities for education that include online, individual and group opportunities will be offered including a collaborative effort between parents, family, community and healthcare providers.