At The Sleep Charity, we recognise that infant sleep develops over time and that frequent waking, night-time feeding, seeking comfort from a caregiver and variable sleep patterns are biologically normal during infancy. Every baby is different, and there is a wide range of what is considered typical infant sleep. These normal developmental behaviours do not necessarily indicate that a baby has a sleep problem.
Our aim is not to encourage babies to achieve arbitrary sleep milestones, such as sleeping through the night, but to help families understand what is developmentally typical, reduce anxiety created by unrealistic expectations, and empower parents to make informed decisions that are right for their own family.
We support responsive parenting and recognise that babies communicate their needs through their behaviour, including crying. We encourage parents and practitioners to respond sensitively to babies’ cues for hunger, comfort and connection. We fully support UK recommendations that breastfeeding should continue for as long as mother and baby wish, and we do not advocate reducing or stopping breastfeeding as part of our infant sleep education.
Our programmes are developed to provide evidence-based information about normal infant sleep, parental wellbeing and safer sleep. It does not promote behavioural sleep training for young infants, leaving babies to cry, withholding feeds or encouraging babies to become independent sleepers before they are developmentally ready.
Alongside understanding normal infant sleep, we believe that keeping babies safe while they sleep is paramount. Our safer sleep advice follows the current recommendations of The Lullaby Trus.
The Sleep Charity does not:
- promote leaving young babies to cry unattended;
- discourage breastfeeding or responsive feeding;
- recommend reducing night feeds where a baby requires them for nutrition or comfort;
- encourage parents to ignore signs of hunger or distress;
- recommend one approach for every family.
We recognise the important contribution of organisations that translate research into accessible information for families and professionals, including BASIS (Baby Sleep Information Source), The Lullaby Trust and the Paediatric Sleep Council. Together, these resources help inform our understanding of normal infant sleep, safer sleep and healthy sleep development.
For older children, where persistent settling difficulties or night waking are affecting the wellbeing of the child or family, and where families wish to make changes, we offer evidence-informed behavioural sleep support that is tailored to the child’s age, developmental stage, health needs and family circumstances. Any strategies discussed are intended to support families in achieving their own goals and are never presented as a one-size-fits-all approach.
As an evidence-based charity, we are committed to continually reviewing emerging research, listening to feedback from families and professionals, and updating our resources to reflect current evidence and best practice.
Further Information
For parents and professionals wishing to explore the evidence further, we recommend the following trusted resources:
- BASIS (Baby Sleep Information Source):https://www.basisonline.org.uk/
- The Lullaby Trust – Safer Sleep Advice:https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/safer-sleep-advice/
- Paediatric Sleep Council– evidence-based information from an international panel of paediatric sleep experts on infant and child sleep.
- https://www.babysleep.com/