Sleep Deprivation in Children, Adults and the Impact on Early Years

Investigation into whether deficits in parental understanding of sleep strategies for young children impacts on children’s early years’ experience. Parents are supported with formal information through pregnancy but after birth personal resourcefulness is required to research childcare information. The practical impact of sleep disruption associated with a young child means parental ability to source authoritative information on managing sleep issues may be compromised. This research will investigate the practical impact of children’s sleep issues in early years education through interviews with early years educators. The expectations of children’s sleep issues will be measured through a focus group with pregnant parents. Parents will be interviewed to find out their experiences of early childhood sleep issues, impact of adult sleep deprivation, and the subsequent establishment of any bedtime routines. Fitness tracker technology means a generation of parents are now able to plot the disruption to their own sleep routine. Questions will be posed on whether technology assists, or further reinforces, concern over adult sleep disruption. The prevalence of technology such as iPads being used to soothe children and support bedtime routines will also be investigated. An information session summarizing simple sleep suggestions will be offered to groups of parents. The evaluation questionnaire will illuminate whether this information would have been beneficial as an extension of the pregnancy education programme. This research may ultimately indicate a nationwide need to continue offering formal childcare support once birth has been achieved as childbirth is merely the start of the childcare process