Associations between demographic and parental factors and infant sleep characteristics

Although sleep problems are highly prevalent in infants, the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence sleep consolidation and regulation in this age group are not well understood. This study aimed to examine the cross-sectional associations of demographic and parental factors with infant sleep characteristics. Participants were 97 Canadian mother-infant dyads primarily from Edmonton, Alberta. Demographic factors (e.g., infant age), parenting practices (e.g., sleep position, sleep initiation methods), and infants sleep characteristics (e.g., the frequency of nighttime awakenings) were assessed using the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire. Maternal sleep characteristics (e.g., nighttime sleep duration) were assessed using Actigraph accelerometers. Infant age (mean = 4.24 ± 2.90) was associated with most infant sleep characteristics. In multiple regression models for infant nighttime sleep duration, after removing influential observations, a negative association for side (vs. prone) sleep position was, respectively, observed. In multiple regression models for the frequency of nighttime awakenings in infants, positive associations for infants falling asleep while feeding (vs. in bed alone) and side (vs. prone) sleep position were consistently observed after removing influential observations. Lower nighttime sleep efficiency (B =  - 0.08, 95%CI: - 0.13, - 0.02) and longer nighttime wake after sleep onset (B = 1.03, 95%CI: 0.41, 1.65) in mothers were associated with more frequent nighttime awakenings in infants. After removing influential observations, more frequent nighttime awakenings (B = 0.35; 95%CI: 0.09, 0.61) and longer total sleep duration (B = 0.33, 95%CI: 0.11, 0.55) in mothers were also associated with more frequent nighttime awakenings in infants. Sleep initiation methods with less parental involvement, and more continuous and efficient maternal nighttime sleep, tended to be associated with less interrupted infant sleep.