Exploring Internationally Where Infants Sleep and Why
Mentor 1
Jennifer Doering
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
24-4-2015 2:30 PM
End Date
24-4-2015 3:45 PM
Description
Background: Guidelines for safe infant sleep around the world are inconsistent. There are few similarities that can be found between the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and co-sleeping guidelines. In order to explore parent’s self-management behaviors, there needs to be more research that visually depicts where infants sleep and explains how parents make decisions. The purpose of this research study was to learn where infants sleep at night around the world. Methods: This descriptive, exploratory study asked parents with infants (<12 months) to submit pictures and descriptions of where their infants sleep. Data were collected anonymously via Internet survey. Parents were recruited using Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Emails, mommy bloggers, listservs and mother/parent groups were also utilized for recruitment. Parents (n=30) were primarily married/partnered with countries of origin primarily in the northern hemisphere, with babies age x= 6.7 months. Results: Pictures of sleep spaces varied from room sharing where infants were in cribs inside the bedroom or bed sharing to solitary spaces in cribs. Key influencing factors reported by parents to make decisions about where their infants slept were safety, infant’s comfort, parent’s ease, infant proximity and space constraints. Some parents expressed having no worries about their infant’s sleep location, while others expressed concern about infant temperature, rolling on the infant, and response time. Conclusion: Parents put significant, thoughtful consideration into making their infant’s sleep environment safe. There were a wide variety of infant sleep places that reflect back to their decisions. Parents acknowledged the debate about where infants sleep most safely within their responses.
Exploring Internationally Where Infants Sleep and Why
Union Wisconsin Room
Background: Guidelines for safe infant sleep around the world are inconsistent. There are few similarities that can be found between the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and co-sleeping guidelines. In order to explore parent’s self-management behaviors, there needs to be more research that visually depicts where infants sleep and explains how parents make decisions. The purpose of this research study was to learn where infants sleep at night around the world. Methods: This descriptive, exploratory study asked parents with infants (<12 >months) to submit pictures and descriptions of where their infants sleep. Data were collected anonymously via Internet survey. Parents were recruited using Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Emails, mommy bloggers, listservs and mother/parent groups were also utilized for recruitment. Parents (n=30) were primarily married/partnered with countries of origin primarily in the northern hemisphere, with babies age x= 6.7 months. Results: Pictures of sleep spaces varied from room sharing where infants were in cribs inside the bedroom or bed sharing to solitary spaces in cribs. Key influencing factors reported by parents to make decisions about where their infants slept were safety, infant’s comfort, parent’s ease, infant proximity and space constraints. Some parents expressed having no worries about their infant’s sleep location, while others expressed concern about infant temperature, rolling on the infant, and response time. Conclusion: Parents put significant, thoughtful consideration into making their infant’s sleep environment safe. There were a wide variety of infant sleep places that reflect back to their decisions. Parents acknowledged the debate about where infants sleep most safely within their responses.
