None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The early years of life are critical in development of sleep behaviours and present the optimal window for promotion of healthy sleep patterns and early intervention to prevent and treat sleep problems. During this period, childcare plays a significant role in the lives of children and has demonstrated impacts on lifetime trajectories of health and development. This project focuses on the role of childcare in supporting sleep health of children aged 0-3 years. The majority of Australian children attend childcare and many spend considerable hours in childcare from early life, when sleep patterns are developing. Despite this, little is currently known about impacts of childcare practices on young children’s sleep health. Yet prior to age 3, there are substantial challenges in this context that result from greater variability in child sleep need (including timing, duration and number of sleep periods), settling behaviours, and the complexity of parent demands. This study aims to examine current sleep practices for infants and toddlers (aged 0-36 months) in childcare settings. The focus is on addressing two key questions in establishing the role that childcare plays in younger children’s sleep health: (1) Do childcare environments influence children’s sleep patterns and behaviours? (2) Does consistency between sleep practices in childcare and at home influence the regularity of children’s sleep patterns?
Interventions
Within childcare services direct observations of sleep practices and sleep policies are conducted in rooms catering for infant [0-18 months] and toddler [18-36 months] aged children (n=40 rooms) via a standard intensive in-situ observation measure: The Sleep Observation Measure for Early Childhood Education and Care (SOME; Staton et al, 2015). The SOME is a multi-item observational tool used to collect detailed records of sleep environments, sleep practices and children’s behavioural responses w
Within childcare services direct observations of sleep practices and sleep policies are conducted in rooms catering for infant [0-18 months] and toddler [18-36 months] aged children (n=40 rooms) via a standard intensive in-situ observation measure: The Sleep Observation Measure for Early Childhood Education and Care (SOME; Staton et al, 2015). The SOME is a multi-item observational tool used to collect detailed records of sleep environments, sleep practices and children’s behavioural responses within childcare settings. Observations are conducted on a single day in each childcare settings, commencing at approximately 9am and ending at approximately 2:30 pm). Educators within each service also complete a brief survey regarding current sleep policies, including parent-educator communication strategies. Outcomes data is collected at two time-points (baseline and 6 months following initial observation).
Sponsors
The University of Queensland
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
No minimum to 36 Months
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Direct observations of sleep practices are conducted across 40 childcare rooms (one each of infant [0-18 months] and toddler [18-36 months]), sited within 20 long day care childcare services and 6 family day care rooms. To capture a range of social and developmental profiles, services are randomly selected from within stratification of small local areas identified by the AEDC as of high, moderate and low vulnerability. All families with children aged 0-36 months attending target childcare rooms are eligible to participate.
Exclusion criteria
Criteria for exclusion includes significant medical, neurological, or developmental disorder, or out of home placement.
Outcome results
None listed