An inductive content analysis of behavioural sleep information in Canadian online infant sleep resources

To conduct an inductive content analysis of publicly available online resources to describe existing content provided by Canadian government and social service health organizations for parents of infants.

Online resources were obtained as part of a larger environmental scan on Canadian infant sleep information. Inclusion criteria required that English or French written resources focused on sleep in infants under 2 years, be created by a Canadian governmental or health service organization and include behavioural infant sleep information. Resources were independently coded by two research assistants using inductive content analysis.

A total of 51 resources were identified, with most being in English (n = 45, 88.24%). Most resources contained information on developing a bedtime routine (n = 41, 80.39%), feeding (n = 44, 86.27%), and infant sleep patterns and needs (n = 48, 94.12%). Information on sleep patterns and needs mainly focused on age-specific sleep considerations. Information on individual and family considerations and the causes of sleep difficulties and disruptions were less common.

This content analysis demonstrated that the majority of content on infant sleep from Canadian government and social service organizations is related to age-specific sleep patterns and/or infant feeding. Less information is available on how parents can influence infant sleep (particularly when experiencing difficulties with infant sleep), individual and family considerations (especially on cultural considerations and family well-being), and causes of sleep difficulties. Future research and resource development could address potential knowledge gaps by using community co-design and collaboration.