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

Specialist sleep services

How referrals work, and what to do if it is you who is struggling.

The short version

  • Get help today for thoughts of suicide, or of harming yourself or your baby, or for hallucinations, delusions, confusion or rapidly changing moods.
  • Call 999 or go to A&E if you do not feel you can keep yourself or someone else safe. Samaritans: 116 123, free, 24 hours.
  • The NHS treats a mental health emergency as seriously as a physical one. You will not be wasting anyone's time.
  • Start with your health visitor or 0 to 19 team, no referral needed. Specialist sleep centres take professional referrals only, not from families.
  • The National Sleep Helpline (03303 530 541) advises on children 12 months and over. Under 12 months, they refer on to Cry-sis.

The rest of this page explains where this comes from. You do not have to read it tonight.

About 3 minutes to read

When sleep problems warrant a specialist sleep service

NHS sleep support runs in three tiers, and they are reached in different ways.

  1. Tier 1: health visitor, 0 to 19 team or school nurse In most areas you can contact these yourself, no referral needed. The first stop for most sleep difficulties.
  2. Tier 2: community paediatrics or a CAMHS sleep clinic Needs a professional referral, usually from your GP or health visitor.
  3. Tier 3: tertiary sleep medicine Centres such as Sheffield Children's Sleep Service and the GOSH Respiratory Sleep Unit take professional referrals only. GOSH states it plainly: "We do not accept referrals directly from families." Ask your GP or paediatrician to refer.
The escalation ladder for children's sleep and health worries Four rising steps. The lowest is labelled health visitor or 0 to 19 team, then GP, then NHS 111, then 999 or A and E at the top. A note beneath says you can start at any step and that specialist sleep services are reached through a professional referral. Health visitor or 0 to 19 team GP or practice nurse NHS 111 (phone it for an under-5) 999 or A&E for the signs at the top of this page You can start at any step. Specialist sleep clinics are reached by referral from one of the first two.
You do not have to work up the ladder in order. For emergency signs, go straight to 999.

What the National Sleep Helpline can and cannot do

The Sleep Charity's National Sleep Helpline (03303 530 541, standard network rate, Monday to Thursday 9am to 11am and Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 7pm to 9pm) gives sleep advice to parents of children aged 12 months and over. Under 12 months, they refer on to Cry-sis.

They are clear that they cannot advise on sleep disorders, underlying medical conditions, mental health problems or thoughts of suicide, and that the helpline is not a crisis service. For those they direct you to NHS 111, your GP, Samaritans on 116 123, or A&E.

If you are the one struggling

This applies to every parent in the house, whether or not you gave birth. Fathers, partners and adoptive parents often assume this support is not meant for them. It is.

Get help today if

  • You are having thoughts of suicide, or of harming yourself or your baby. Speak to your GP, midwife or health visitor, or refer yourself to NHS talking therapies.
  • You do not feel you can keep yourself or someone else safe. Call 999 or go to A&E.
  • There are hallucinations, delusions, mania, confusion or rapidly changing moods, particularly in the first two weeks after birth. This needs a same-day urgent GP assessment, or 999 or A&E if anyone is in danger.

Samaritans are on 116 123, free from any phone including pay as you go with no credit, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can also call 111 and select the mental health option.

The NHS puts it like this: "A mental health emergency should be taken as seriously as a physical one. You will not be wasting anyone's time."

Feeling hopeless or unable to cope past the first couple of weeks is worth a conversation with your GP or health visitor too. It is common and it is treatable.

Where this comes from

  • NHS (nhs.uk) bronchiolitis, sepsis, croup, colic, anaphylaxis, fever and baby weight guidance, for the 999 and 111 criteria, croup, colic, the crying advice and the centile rule. These pages are cited by name; we have linked the ones whose exact addresses we hold.
  • NHS, reflux in babies, for posseting, the timescales and the instruction not to raise the head of the cot or Moses basket.
  • Great Ormond Street Hospital, obstructive sleep apnoea, for the child-specific signs, the 1 to 3% figure, risk groups and the overnight sleep study.
  • ICON, the UK infant crying programme, for the crying curve, the four ICON messages and the walking-away instruction.
  • Cry-sis, for the helpline number and hours and the average two hours of crying a day.
  • The Lullaby Trust, Baby Check app, for the 17 checks for babies under six months.
  • The Sleep Charity, National Sleep Helpline, for the hours, the age limits and what the service cannot cover.
  • Sheffield Children's Sleep Service and the GOSH Respiratory Sleep Unit, for how tertiary sleep services take referrals.
  • NHS, postnatal depression and Samaritans, for the parental crisis red flags and the 116 123 line.
  • Allergy UK, for the IgE and non-IgE timings, the symptom groups, the over-attribution caveat and the 01322 619898 helpline.
  • NICE guidance on referral for snoring and for autistic children, reproduced second hand: nice.org.uk blocks automated checking, so we have avoided quoting any threshold from it.

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.