If a child is struggling to breathe, is floppy or will not wake, or their skin, lips or tongue look blue or grey: call 999 now. Colour changes are harder to see on brown and black skin, so check the palms, soles, lips and tongue. If you are worried but it is not an emergency, call NHS 111. In Northern Ireland use your GP out-of-hours service.

MarionSleep help for families

Free UK self-help

You are not doing it wrong.

Most parents who go looking for help with their child's sleep are describing something completely normal. This site explains what is normal, what you can try if you want to change something, and where to get real help in the UK.

Jump to where to start

A baby sleeping on its back in a clear cot A line drawing of a cot containing only a firm flat mattress and a baby lying on its back near the foot of the cot, with no pillows, bumpers or toys. A crescent moon and stars are visible through a window behind.
On the back, in a clear, flat, separate sleep space, with feet near the foot of the cot. The full safer sleep guidance.

Waking in the night is normal

It is not a sign that your baby is unwell, that you have made a mistake, or that you have created a bad habit. Waking is what babies do, and there is good reason to think it protects them: being able to rouse from sleep is thought to be one of the mechanisms that guards against sudden infant death.

One of the largest studies to look at this followed babies at 6 and 12 months. Between 27.9% and 57% of them were not sleeping through the night, depending on which definition was used, and there was no significant link between sleeping through and mental development, motor development, or their mother's mood, at 6, 12 or 36 months.

What is normal at each age

Where to start

Pick whichever of these sounds most like tonight.

I want to know it is safe

Safer sleep for babies, including honest, practical guidance on co-sleeping rather than a simple "never".

Is this normal?

What sleep actually looks like at each age, and why the normal range is far wider than most people are told.

I want to try changing something

Step-by-step settling methods, each with what the evidence really shows and who it may not suit.

Something specific is going wrong

Early waking, bedtime battles, naps, night terrors, separation anxiety and night feeds.

My child is disabled or neurodivergent

Autism, ADHD, learning disability, Down's syndrome, cerebral palsy and sensory differences, plus how to get specialist help.

I am exhausted

For mothers, fathers and partners: sleep deprivation, mental health, and staying safe when you are running on empty.

Should I see a doctor?

Clear red flags, what needs 999, what needs 111, and what can wait for the health visitor.

I want to talk to someone

UK helplines and charities, with registered charity numbers, opening hours and call costs, all checked.

If you only read one thing tonight

  1. Your baby sleeps on their back, every sleep In a clear, flat, separate sleep space, in your room for the first six months, with the room between 16 and 20°C. Nothing else in the cot.
  2. Never fall asleep with a baby on a sofa or armchair This is the one that catches exhausted parents out. If you think there is any chance you will fall asleep during a night feed, feed in a bed you have already made safe rather than on the sofa.
  3. If the crying is getting to you, it is fine to put the baby down and walk away Somewhere safe, close the door, and come back in a few minutes when you feel calmer. Never shake a baby.
  4. Nothing else on this site is compulsory Bedtime routines, settling methods, dropping night feeds: these are choices, and different families make different ones for good reasons.

Need to speak to somebody now?

Baby under 12 months, crying or not sleeping: Cry-sis on 0800 448 0737, free, seven days a week, 9am to 10pm.

Child 12 months or older: The Sleep Charity's National Sleep Helpline on 03303 530 541 (standard network rate).

A disabled child, any age: Contact on 0808 808 3555, freephone.

If you are struggling to cope: Samaritans on 116 123, free from any phone, day or night, all year. See the full directory.

How this site is written

There is a lot of advice about children's sleep, and much of it makes parents feel worse. We have tried to do three things differently.

Everything here is written for mothers, fathers, partners, single parents, adoptive and kinship carers, and anyone else doing the nights. More about this site and how we check things.

Where this comes from

Last checked 1 August 2026. This page is general information, not medical advice. If you are worried about your child, speak to your health visitor or GP.