Is your baby born preterm? They are more likely to fall asleep independently than full-term babies

Research shows that preterm babies may have more sleep-related problems, such as nocturnal movement and restlessness during the night, but are also more likely to fall asleep independently.

Preterm babies have more medical sleep problems such as nocturnal movement and restlessness during the night as compared to full-term babies. But they are also more likely to fall asleep independently, a new study suggests. “Preterm children needed less support to fall asleep and fell asleep more often alone in their own bed as compared to those born at full term,” said Barbara Caravale, lead author of the study and a researcher in the Department of Developmental and Social Psychology at Sapienza University in Rome, Italy.

Previous research suggested that babies’ sleep habits could make them gain weight and babies should sleep in the same room as their parents but in their own crib.

“However, preterm children showed more frequent sleep difficulties, such as restlessness and breathing problems during the night,” Caravale added. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, involved 51 preterm children with normal cognitive, language and motor development and 57 full-term children. Their average age was 21 months. Mothers completed a series of questionnaires to assess sleep-related difficulties, sleep habits and child temperament.

The study found no differences between the two groups of children in bedtime, rise time or sleep duration. However, Caravale noted that the sleep problems reported by the parents of pre-terms may have resulted in sleep disruption, which could help explain significant differences in attention and emotionality. “Our study found that sleep problems were related to increased negative emotionality and decreased attention,” Caravale mentioned.

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