Bad snooze for Ulster parents

New mums and dads lose 657 hours of sleep a year

NEW parents lose an average of 657 hours sleep a year with children who are unsettled at night.

That amounts to nearly four weeks’ snooze time for Northern Ireland’s mums and dads. Half those surveyed even said they’d prefer a night of uninterrupted sleep over a romantic weekend or a night out with friends. The survey by reading charity, Booktrust showed local parents also: Wait the most amount of time for their children to settle Get out of bed on average five times a night to tend to their kids Have given up exercise as a result of lack of sleep, and Have taken a day off work to catch up on lost sleep. The research showed new parents are completely sleep deprived in the child’s first few years. And two-thirds of parents and carers in Northern Ireland are the most likely to give up exercise as a result of lack of sleep. The research also revealed: Sleep deprivation is the most stressful challenge about becoming a parent, second only to worries about children’s health 21% of new parents have taken a day off work in order to catch up on lost sleep, and Children not following a “bath, book, bed” routine are less relaxed at bedtime, get up more often during the night and get fed more frequently. The survey polled more than 1,000 families on bedtime routines and sleeping habits. Trust ambassador Jo Frost said: “Booktrust’s Bath, Book, Bed campaign is a straightforward approach to tackling a problem most parents face – the bedtime battle. “Routines do not need to be complicated for especiallytired parents on their last legs.”

TIRED OF IT Parents are suffering