How Do Mothers Think Their Sleep‐Related Routines Benefit Their Young Children's Sleep?
Fiona A. L. Tierney, Georgia Cook, Anna L. Barnett, Luci WiggsABSTRACT
Objective
This study explored how parents think their sleep‐related routines benefit their child's sleep.
Background
Healthy child sleep benefits development and child and family wellbeing. Consistent calming bedtime routines are recommended to support healthy sleep. However, many parents have inconsistent routines and include stimulating activities.
Method
Online semi‐structured interviews explored what parents routinely did to benefit their child's sleep over 24 h and why. Twenty‐one UK‐based mothers of 1–3‐year‐olds (67% white British) participated and data were reflexively thematically analysed.
Results
Four themes (and associated subthemes) represented ways parents thought their sleep‐related routines benefited their child's sleep: Creating an optimal sleep window; Helping children wind down; Signalling time for sleep; and Creating an emotional state conducive to sleep.
Conclusion
Sleep‐related routines act on multiple processes associated with sleep and require a range of parenting skills and choices. Mothers reported that variable daytime napping impacted the consistency of bedtime routines. For some mothers, there may be a mismatch between their goals when using routines and their practices, for example, using television and active play in bedtime routines to reduce children's arousal.
Implications
Families would benefit from access to ongoing, tailored sleep‐related support.
Guidance around routines should focus on sleep‐promoting processes (rather than particular activities) and promote both structure and parental sensitivity.