Sleep and crying
The front line, including the line to ring for a baby under one.
The short version
- None of the sleep lines on this page is open at 3am, going by their own printed hours. Samaritans on 116 123 answers any hour, as does NHS 111.
- Baby under one: Cry-sis, 0800 448 0737, 7 days a week 9am to 10pm. This is the one to lead with.
- Child 12 months and over: the National Sleep Helpline, 03303 530 541, Monday to Thursday 9 to 11am, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 7 to 9pm.
- Safer sleep questions, cots, bedding and co-sleeping: The Lullaby Trust, 0808 802 6869, 10am to 2pm weekdays.
- In Scotland, Sleep Action covers ages 18 months to 18 years by web form or email. There is no telephone number for this service.
The rest of this page explains where this comes from. You do not have to read it tonight.
About 2 minutes to read
Sleep and crying
These four are the organisations whose actual subject is sleep and crying. Everything else on this page is broader family support that happens to cover sleep.
Cry-sis
Babies under 1 Crying and sleep
0800 448 07377 days a week 9am to 10pm
Support for parents of babies who cry a lot or will not sleep. This is the one to lead with for a baby under one. We confirmed the number and hours on the Cry-sis contact page, on the charity register, and independently on the NHS colic page. Source: cry-sis.org.uk and NHS.
The Lullaby Trust
Safer sleep Bereavement
Baby safety: 0808 802 686910am to 2pm weekdays
Bereavement: 0808 802 686810am to 2pm weekdays, plus 6pm to 10pm weekends and public holidays
The safer sleep line answers questions about sleep position, cots, bedding, co-sleeping and products. The bereavement line supports families after the sudden death of a baby or young child. The Lullaby Trust's parent guide is the source behind most of the safer sleep advice on this site.
The Sleep Charity: National Sleep Helpline
Children 12 months and over Standard network rate
03303 530 541Monday to Thursday 9 to 11am. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 7 to 9pm. Closed bank holidays
For parents of children aged 12 months and over only. If your baby is younger than that, ring Cry-sis on 0800 448 0737 or speak to your health visitor. The evening sessions exist precisely because sleep problems are hardest to talk about during the working day. The Sleep Charity are clear that they are not medical professionals.
Sleep Action (Capella Charity, formerly Sleep Scotland)
Scotland only 18 months to 18 years No phone number
There is no telephone number for this service. The Scottish Sleep Support Line is reached by web form or by email at sleepsupport@sleepaction.org, and that is not an oversight on our part: no phone number is published anywhere.
Sleep Scotland did not close, as is often reported. It renamed. Sleep Action is now a division of Capella Charity (OSCR SC027560), and the change was registered on 14 June 2022. The service covers Scotland only, for children and young people aged 18 months to 18 years, and they state it is available at no cost thanks to grant funding.
sleepaction.org Use this address without "www": the www version of their site has a certificate problem and your browser may warn you.
Where this comes from
- Charity Commission register for England and Wales, every England and Wales charity number on this page.
- OSCR, the Scottish Charity Regulator, every SC charity number on this page.
- Cry-sis contact page, the Cry-sis number and hours, corroborated on the NHS colic page.
- The Lullaby Trust contact page, both Lullaby Trust lines and their hours.
- The Sleep Charity National Sleep Helpline, the helpline number, hours, call cost and the 12 month age rule.
- sleepaction.org and OSCR SC027560, the Sleep Action rename and the absence of a phone number.
- Coram Family Lives, the current number and hours, replacing the register's stale 24 hour wording.
- Gingerbread contact page, the helpline closure on 1 April 2025.
- Bliss support page, confirming there is no telephone helpline.
- National Autistic Society contact page, confirming there is no public helpline.
- Samaritans contact page, 116 123, call cost and availability.
- Babyzone Baby Buddy, where the Baby Buddy app went after Best Beginnings ceased to exist.
- Action for Children Parent Talk, the free online service that replaces the helpline people look for.
- OSCR SC027007, The Breastfeeding Network, behind the National Breastfeeding Helpline.
- Healthy Child Programme, health visiting ages 0 to 5, the five mandated reviews in England.
- NHS Best Start in Life, the renamed NHS parenting hub and its baby sleep section.
- Find a family hub, gov.uk, family hub coverage in England.
- NHS 24 and NHS inform, the Scottish phone routes.
- Parent Club, Scottish Government sleep information.
- 111 Wales, the Welsh phone route and its availability.
- Flying Start programme, Welsh Government, enhanced health visiting for under fours in some areas.
- nidirect GP out-of-hours service, every Northern Ireland area number and the confirmation that there is no 111 service.
- FamilySupportNI, the Northern Ireland services directory whose phone line costs 70p per minute plus access charge.
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.