Are Australian Babies getting enough sleep?

Are Australian Babies getting enough sleep?
Survey findings indicate No

A recent study has shown that Australian babies are among the most sleep deprived in the western world with nearly half of babies between 12-24 months surviving on less than eight hours sleep per night*. This is four hours less than the 12 hours of sleep recommended by child and family health professionals.

The survey of 1,000 Australian mothers was conducted by Pampers Nappies and Tresillian Family Care and looked at the extent of infant sleep deficit and its impact on baby development.

The survey showed that infants who have eight or more hours of uninterrupted 'golden' sleep each night are significantly more sociable and eager to play, compared to infants who sleep for five or less hours per night, proving sleep is the key to emotional, physical and cognitive development in infants.

According to Tresillian Chair in Child and Family Health Professor Fowler, parents know the value of sleep in fact the survey demonstrated that 92 per cent of mums believe that sleep is one of the most important things their baby needs to grow and develop.

"From my experience, infants who benefit from uninterrupted 'golden' sleep embrace each day with a better temperament and mood, setting the tone for a much happier day for everyone," said Professor Fowler.

Key findings:

90 percent of Australian mums believe their child is happier after a good night sleep.
75 percent of babies who slept for eight or more hours a night are described by their parents as more sociable and more willing to play compared to fifty-three per cent of babies who sleep for five or less hours at night.
95 per cent of mums said they see a direct connection between their baby having a good night sleep and their own mood the next morning.
Despite nearly half (46 per cent) of Australian babies receiving less than eight hours sleep, 75 per cent of Australian mums believe their baby is a good sleeper.
75 per cent of mums said lack of sleep was one of the greatest challenges of parenthood, however this increased to 83 per cent of mums whose baby has less than five hours of sleep per night.
Half (52 per cent) of mums said establishing a sleep routine was one of the greatest challenges of parenthood.

*Versus a study of more than 50,000 mums in Western Europe conducted by Pampers, Australian babies are found to be significantly more sleep deprived. In Western Europe, nearly 75 per cent of infants aged 12-24 months sleep for eight or more hours per night, compared to only 44 per cent of infants in the same age bracket in Australia.