Preventing sleeping problems in infants who are at risk of developing them

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12:55

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Published on: December 26, 2013

M Nikolopoulou1, I St James-Roberts

  • 1Thomas Coram Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London, UK.

Archives of Disease in Childhood
|January 23, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Early identification of infants at risk for sleep problems is possible. A simple behavioral program significantly increases the likelihood of infants sleeping through the night by 12 weeks of age.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Infant sleep problems are common and can be distressing for families.
  • Identifying infants at risk for sleep issues early can facilitate timely intervention.
  • Preventive strategies may be more cost-effective than treating established sleep problems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify early indicators (at 1 week of age) predicting infant failure to sleep through the night by 12 weeks.
  • To evaluate the effectiveness of a behavioral program in improving sleep outcomes for at-risk infants.

Main Methods:

  • A community sample of 316 newborns was assessed at 1 week for risk factors related to sleep.
  • Infants identified as at-risk were randomly assigned to either a behavioral intervention group or a control group.
  • Outcomes including sleeping, crying, and feeding patterns were measured at 12 weeks of age.

Main Results:

  • Infants with more than 11 feeds in 24 hours at 1 week were 2.7 times more likely to not sleep through the night at 12 weeks.
  • At 12 weeks, 82% of at-risk infants in the behavioral program slept through the night, compared to 61% in the control group.
  • The intervention's effectiveness was consistent across breast and bottle-feeding infants.

Conclusions:

  • Early identification of infants at risk for sleep disturbances is feasible.
  • A simple, three-step preventive behavioral program can increase the rate of infants sleeping through the night by 21%.
  • Preventive interventions for infant sleep problems are recommended for their potential cost-effectiveness and efficacy.
Abstract

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