Behavioral Management of Sleep Problems in Infants Under 6 Months--What Works?

Objective: Crying and unsettled behavior in infancy is common. Prolonged disturbed infant sleep can have significant negative effects on the development of the child, and on the psychological well-being of the mother. Compared to studies examining the effects of behavioral sleep programs such as extinction-based techniques in infants over 6 months of age, fewer studies have looked at such strategies in infants under 6 months of age. The aim of this article is to summarize the literature examining the effects of behavioral techniques on infant sleep outcomes in the first 6 months of life and provide evidence based recommendations for the management of infant sleep disturbance.

Method: An electronic search of the literature was performed to identify studies which examined the effects of a behavioral intervention aimed at improving sleep in infants under 6 months of age.

Results: Eleven studies were identified, of which 8 demonstrated improvements in infant sleep outcomes subsequent to the implementation of an educational behavioral program.

Conclusion: Education directed to parents about the use of simple, prescriptive, behavioral techniques is effective in improving infant sleep. Long term follow-up studies have failed to find any negative effects on the child, either from a psychological or physical perspective.