Parents of newborns get just four hours’ sleep

MOST parents of newborn babies are surviving on just under four hours’ sleep as their children wake at least three times every night, according to a survey on sleeping patterns.

Forty three per cent of new parents across the country admit to being “desperate for sleep” and half of them feel weepy and emotional on a regular basis.

One-in-five parents are bad tempered because of sleep deprivation while one in four said they are irritable with their partner. Others admit to being more forgetful and accident-prone.

According to the research, it often takes parents up to 45 minutes to get a child back to sleep after they wake up.

However, before you start feeling sorry for the new fathers in your office, the Pampers survey also reveals that it is mothers who do most of the running.

Over 50% of the women surveyed admit to resenting that they were always the one to tend to the child by night.

The research, conducted on 492 Irish parents with children aged 13 months and under, shows a third of Irish fathers never get up during the night while 12% only get up once a week.

Childminders and creches are also criticised by parents for allegedly letting babies sleep too long by day. According to some mothers, some children only get out in the fresh air for less than two hours per day and this may make them less sleepy by night.

But, National Creche and Nurseries Association (NCNA) Director of Services, Mary Lee Stapleton said most creches will align sleeping times with the need of the individual child.

“Babies are generally not routinely put down as they all have different needs and rhythms. It all depends on the child. If parents feel that a child is sleeping too little at night, well then they should discuss it with the creche and sort it out with them as it can be caused by numerous reasons.”

Pampers brand manager Guillaume Tardy said their survey shows that after six months, most babies tend to begin sleeping better.

“Babies appear to be sleeping in their parents’ room for nine months and then they go into their own room. But, 13% of babies end up in their parents bed every night while one in 10 are in there, two or three times every week,” he said.

A separate but identical survey was also conducted in Britain and this revealed that just 38% of Irish parents had their babies in a “bath, feed, sleep” routine compared to 69% in Britain. Forty-two per cent of Irish mothers breast or bottle feed their baby to sleep while 32% use cuddling as the preferred option.