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 Children whose parents used these strategies were more likely to
sleep longer and have fewer bedtime behavioral difficulties, the
researchers wrote in the journal Sleep Health.
"It's really hard being a parent, and we we'd like to be able to
tell them which strategies to implement that will actually help,"
said lead study author Burt Hatch of the University of California at
Davis MIND Institute in Sacramento.
About a third of infants experience sleep difficulties, such as
trouble falling asleep or repeatedly waking throughout the night,
the study authors wrote. These sleep problems are often associated
with difficulties during later development, including anxiety,
aggression and impulsivity.
"Although consistency around bedtime has always been thought to be
important, there's not much data around parents implementing it or
the long-term effects," he told Reuters Health by phone.
Hatch and colleagues analyzed data from a randomized controlled
trial that was primarily designed to study ways to prevent infants
from becoming overweight. As part of that study, parents were
educated about appropriate ways to manage an infant's sleep with
minimal interference. Emphasis was placed on putting infants down to
sleep when tired but still awake, allowing them to fall asleep on
their own without touching or feeding, providing a consistent
environment for infants to sleep in, and minimizing parents sleeping
with their infants on the same bed.
The research team surveyed parents during the fourth and sixth
months after birth to learn how often they followed the strategies.
Then, three and a half years later, they asked parents to rate
difficulties with bedtime resistance, sleep initiation and nighttime
waking.
About 15 percent of parents used the four strategies consistently,
with younger moms more likely to use more strategies. At the same
time, moms who experienced maternal depression were less likely to
use the bedtime strategies.
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Importantly, children were more likely to have sleep self-control by
age 3 if more bedtime strategies were used and were more likely to
have sleep difficulties if their mother had maternal depression.
Consistent bedtime routines helped sleep duration as well.
"The most important message here is that parents can make simple
changes that have both an immediate impact and long-term impact,"
Jodi Mindell of Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, told Reuters Health by phone. Mindell, who wasn't
involved with this study, researches pediatric sleep disorders.
A limitation of the study is that it lacked diversity, Hatch said.
This intervention was focused on one maternity hospital in New
Zealand that serves mostly Caucasian, college-educated parents.
These programs should be offered to higher risk groups, including
different socioeconomic levels and those with a history of
depression, he said.
"We often find that expectant mothers are largely focused on the
birth as opposed to the many challenges that come after that
process," said Liora Kempler of the Woolcock Institute of Medical
Research in Sydney, Australia. Kempler, who wasn't involved with
this study, researches maternal and infant sleep after childbirth,
especially among first-time mothers.
Although most perinatal programs offer advice about pain relief,
feeding and sleep after birth, the information is often brief or
leaves room for questions, she said.
"I believe it's useful for pregnant women to educate themselves
about parenting over time and how their behavior can impact their
infant," Kempler told Reuters Health by email. "This not only helps
them make informed decisions but gives them confidence in making
those decisions, rather than being confused by the variable and
often conflicting advice offered by Dr. Google and well-meaning
family and friends."
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2Wz5BUd Sleep Health, online May 20, 2019.
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