What to Know
For so many new moms, the biggest issue we have to deal with is sleep, both ours and the baby’s. I remember when I was a new mom, so many conversations I had with other moms revolved around how our babies were sleeping. The three words most commonly used were “good,” “bad,” and “difficult.” If you had one of the latter two, there was a hint of desperation in your voice as you asked for advice. So many moms, for a variety of reasons, are obsessed with baby sleep. And that obsession will take them to a lot of different places for answers.
It’s an industry that is unregulated.
@bbcnews Infant-sleep consulting is a completely unregulated industry, but there are growing calls for this to change. #SleepTraining #BabySleep #Investigation #BBCNews ♬ original sound – BBC News
Recently, the BBC did a feature on the baby sleep industry, specifically on a woman named Alison Scott-Wright, aka ‘The Magic Sleep Fairy.’ In a clip shared on TikTok, a BBC reporter went undercover as a new mom seeking advice about how to help her baby. During the call, Scott-Wright immediately began diagnosing the woman’s baby with a cow’s milk protein allergy and tongue-tie.
“I can’t tell you to do this, but every baby I work with sleeps on its front,” she told the woman, calling it a “game changer.”
Obviously, her advice was not only wrong, but dangerous. All parents are taught that you need to put your baby to sleep on their back to prevent SIDS.
Even if she knew she “can’t” tell parents to do it, she still basically told them to do it.
The BBC did a longer story about the unregulated baby sleep industry, focusing on Scott-Wright and another woman who claims to be an expert.
Naturally, many people were horrified by what they’d watched.
Over on TikTok, the comments were mostly from people who were shocked by the advice given.
“As a first time mum I felt sooooo much pressure to have a baby who sleeps through the night! Yes it’s preferable for parents but night waking is normal for babies and helps prevent SIDS. You end up thinking you’re a terrible parent for having a baby who wakes up!”
“I’m baffled by the number of people saying putting them down in their front is ok… as a mum of children who did not sleep well as babies, never once did I think risking sids was an alternative,” someone else wrote.
“As a Health Visitor I’m so glad this has been exposed. Worrying how many people coin themselves a ‘infant sleep advisor’. Please always follow evidence based research for safe sleep it’s there for a reason,” another commenter wrote.
Someone pointed out the bigger picture issue needs to be addressed when it comes to baby sleep.
“Why are we not having a conversation about how hard sleep is for modern day parents. The reality is that no one actually explains sleep to you before becoming a parent and how you have to teach babies how to sleep. It is very normal to wake every hour unless you leave them to cry! This is why parents are desperate and why industries like this have taken off. We don’t have villages anymore. It’s so isolating,” someone else wrote.
“100%, I feel like this made even worse when we’re expecting moms to return to work after 6-10 weeks and function in society. It forces us to retain our sleep schedules so that we can work again at the expense of our sanity and baby’s sleep needs. My first was a TERRIBLE sleeper and i genuinely don’t know how we survived,” one person replied.
“Yea I agree. New parents are desperate and that’s why predatory businesses like this can prey on them. And because no doctor will ever have any good advice on how to help your baby sleep. They’ll only tell you what not to do,” someone else wrote.
“I think if people really wanted to address declining birthrates, they’d need to delve into the Village. I’d also say, everyone tells you babies don’t sleep. Really, you cannot prepare for the toll it takes on you,” another person wrote.
“Sadly parents seek out these types of people out of deprivation and just desperation. There is not much sleep support available for parents other than the safe sleep principles and often babies don’t even like being in their cots!”
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