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

UK support directory

Every helpline and charity, with registered charity numbers, opening hours and what the call costs. All checked.

Start here, at 3am

If you have not got the energy to read a directory, this is the short version. One hard truth first: none of the sleep lines below are open at 3am. The only things staffed through the night are Samaritans on 116 123, NHS 111, and 999. The rest are worth ringing when they open.

  1. Baby under 12 months, crying or not sleeping. Call Cry-sis on 0800 448 0737, 7 days a week 9am to 10pm. This is the line to lead with for a baby under one, and the NHS colic page carries the same number and hours.
  2. Child 12 months or older. Call The Sleep Charity's National Sleep Helpline on 03303 530 541. Monday to Thursday 9 to 11am, and Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 7 to 9pm. Closed bank holidays.
  3. A disabled child, at any age. Call Contact on 0808 808 3555, freephone. Contact covers birth to 25 and lists sleep explicitly as something the helpline handles.
  4. If you are at breaking point. Call Samaritans on 116 123. Free from landlines and mobiles, including pay-as-you-go with no credit, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

One routing rule that catches a lot of people out: the National Sleep Helpline does not take calls about babies under 12 months. If your baby is younger than one, ring Cry-sis or speak to your health visitor instead. Being turned away at the point you finally picked up the phone is a horrible thing to happen, so we would rather you knew first.

Which number to ring first Four panels. A baby under twelve months who is crying or not sleeping: Cry-sis on 0800 448 0737, seven days a week 9am to 10pm. A child of twelve months or older: the National Sleep Helpline on 03303 530 541. A disabled child of any age: Contact on 0808 808 3555. Anyone who cannot cope: Samaritans on 116 123, free, 24 hours a day. Baby under 12 months 0800 448 0737 Cry-sis 7 days a week, 9am to 10pm Child 12 months or older 03303 530 541 National Sleep Helpline Not for babies under 1 A disabled child, any age 0808 808 3555 Contact Freephone, birth to 25 If you cannot cope 116 123 Samaritans Free, 24 hours a day
The four routes that cover most night-time calls. The dividing line between Cry-sis and the National Sleep Helpline is the child's first birthday, because the National Sleep Helpline does not take calls about babies under 12 months.

In this section

Sleep and crying

The front line, including the line to ring for a baby under one.

Parenting, pregnancy and family

General family support, feeding, prematurity and multiples.

Disability and SEND

Specialist sleep services, equipment grants and advice lines.

Mental health, dads and partners

Crisis lines, perinatal mental health, and support aimed at fathers.

NHS and public services

By nation, including the Northern Ireland out-of-hours numbers.

Numbers that will not reach anyone

Helplines still published elsewhere that have closed or never existed.

What these calls cost

Money is a real barrier and a lot of directories quietly pretend it is not. We have only marked a number Free where the organisation itself says it is free. Where there is no tag, we could not confirm the cost from the organisation, so check with your provider if that matters to you.

Numbers on this page that are specifically not free:

If cost is a problem, Samaritans on 116 123 is free even from a pay-as-you-go mobile with no credit, and Family Action's out-of-hours text service is free.

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.