MENLO PARK, Calif., May 22, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Silicon Valley-based smart nursery company Hatch Baby released its first annual family sleep report, highlighting several factors that are causing numerous U.S. parents to lose sleep. Hatch Baby partnered with trusted data survey company Ipsos to discern prominent sleep habits, feelings about sleep in the household and sleep training techniques among families around the country.
“It’s no secret that parents are often sleep-deprived, which can significantly impact other aspects of their daily lives,” said Ann Crady Weiss, co-founder and CEO of Hatch Baby. “Through this survey, we are pleased to uncover the latest sleep patterns of today’s family because the more we understand about family sleep cycles and routines, the more we are able to improve sleep for parents and kids alike. By providing reliable resources and guidance to parents, we believe that consistent and healthy sleep patterns are attainable for families across the U.S.”
Hatch Baby’s report shares information around leading causes for sleep loss, as well as strategies to combat lack of sleep for all members of the family. Over 1,000 U.S.-based parents with children from ages 0 - 18 participated in the survey, with the collected data revealing the following key takeaways:
Kids Cause Parents (and Kids) to Lose Sleep
- One in four (25%) parents today are only getting 3-5 hours of sleep per night.
- New baby arrivals are a big disruptor for the whole family. One in five (20%) parents welcoming a newborn to their family correlate an increased loss of sleep for their other children in the household.
But Who is Missing The Most Sleep?
- Over half of Millennial parents are much more susceptible to getting woken up by a child crying (52% of those age 18-34).
- And it’s not just tears that affect parents’ sleep cycle during the night. 47% of parents with a baby/toddler and 60% of parents with a preschooler reported that their sleep was disrupted when their child came into their room/bed during the night.
What Parents Will Do for Sleep
- 77% of parents with children aged 5 and under would be willing to give up something they love or do something they dislike in exchange for a good night’s sleep.
° 40% of parents were willing to give up social media for a month in exchange for one night of good sleep.
° 39% of parents were willing to sit in traffic for an hour to get a solid night’s sleep.
° 30% of parents were willing to get dental work done for a good night’s sleep.
° 33% of dads would be willing to cut their own hair, while only 19% of moms would be willing to do the same.
The Stresses of Parenting
- While more than half of parents (52%) list finance management as a top stresser, and 46% consider work/family balance their toughest task, sleep training children is also keeping parents up at night. One in five parents (20%) consider sleep training their kids the most challenging family life stressor – ahead of doing taxes, maintaining friendships and potty training.
- Sleep training is rated as being especially difficult for Millennial parents, jumping to a quarter (27%) of Millennial parents listing sleep training as a top source of stress.
- Sleep training is also especially difficult for parents with a baby/toddler (42%), a preschooler (29%), and those who currently have three children (30%).
Consistency is Key
- Nearly seven out of ten (68%) of parents say that maintaining a regular bedtime is key for creating healthy sleep habits.
° Getting to bed early (37%) and reading before bed (34%) round out the top three, though coming in at a distance. - Bedtimes aren’t just for kids! Nearly six in ten parents (59%) say that they or their spouse/partner continue to be responsible for ensuring their teenagers complete a bedtime routine.
“Some children are naturally good sleepers and some need a little help learning the skill,” said Jillian Dowling, certified Hatch Baby sleep expert. “My best tip in this situation is to make sure all children learn to sleep well from a young age by implementing a consistent bedtime routine.”
Mom vs. Dad
- Moms are significantly more likely than dads to say that they are responsible for ensuring their children complete a bedtime routine and follow bedtime rules, regardless of the child’s age.
- Nearly three-quarters (73%) of moms say that maintaining a regular bedtime is top of mind when it comes to creating healthy sleep habits.
- Dads are more likely to turn to online resources when informing themselves about creating healthy sleep habits - particularly when it comes to using specific websites (16% vs. 11% of moms), phone apps (12% vs. 6%) and group chats (7% vs. 3%).
“There is an overwhelming amount of information online in regards to healthy sleep habits, and a lot of conflicting information on top of that,” said Nicole Cannon, certified sleep expert with Hatch Baby. “When turning to online resources, look for a source that has science-backed information rather than just anecdotal evidence.”
Tools and Tricks of the Trade
- Roughly half of all parents (49%) turn to online resources to inform themselves about creating healthy sleep habits for their family.
- Roughly one in five have found that nightlights (23%), changing diapers before bed (22%), sound machines (19%) and feeding before bedtime (17%) work best for creating healthy sleep habits, while other factors are mentioned by fewer.
- Sound machines stand out as being particularly useful for parents with babies/toddlers (39% vs. 19% of all parents), while nightlights are among the top 5 strategies as selected by parents with preschoolers (37%), school-aged children (22%), and teenagers (14%).
“Establishing a routine is the key to creating healthy sleep habits for kids,” said Cannon. “White noise or pink noise from a sound machine is particularly beneficial to a child's bedtime routine because it acts as a cue that signals sleep time, in addition to providing a repetitive, even-toned sound that helps children fall asleep.”
The Hatch Baby Family Sleep Report is the first of an annual survey from Hatch Baby to track the progress of sleep health over time and best provide families with the advice they need to improve household sleep habits.
Hatch Baby Methodology
These are the findings from an Ipsos poll conducted April 9 - 15, 2019. For the survey, a sample of 1,006 parents ages 18 and over from the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii was interviewed online, in English. In order to qualify for the survey, parents had to have at least one child under the age of 18 living at home.
About Hatch Baby
Hatch Baby is a smart nursery company on a mission to make life easier for parents. We’ve been there — marveling at a growing belly, struggling to feed our babies, trying everything to get our kids to sleep. We know just how hard parenting can be, so we’ve created a suite of products and services to simplify the most important job you’ll ever have. Our featured product is the Hatch Baby Rest, a fully customizable smart night light, sound machine and Time-to-Rise indicator in one sleek device designed to help your child develop a healthy sleep routine. Launched in 2014 by parent entrepreneurs Ann Crady Weiss and Dave Weiss, and featured on “Shark Tank” in 2016, Hatch Baby is headquartered in Menlo Park. For more information, visit www.hatchbaby.com.
About Ipsos
Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. Ipsos ranks fourth in the global research industry.
With offices in 89 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across five research specializations: brand, advertising and media; customer loyalty; marketing; public affairs research; and survey management.
Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.
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