How new parents cope with lack of sleep

The survey also discovered that parents in Manchester get the longest night’s sleep averaging eight hours each night – which is the recommended daily amount – Leeds mums and dads get only four hours in total.

Parents from up and down the country were surveyed to coincide with The Baby Show which takes place at Birmingham’s NEC this weekend. It found that one in 10 couples opted to sleep in separate beds for up to a year after the birth of their child to ensure a decent night’s sleep.

Only 64 per cent of couples sleep in the same bed together every single night after having a baby and 23 per cent of mothers said that they took over-the-counter sleep remedies to help them get a good night’s sleep after the birth of their first baby.

Fifty-three per cent of parents never let their baby sleep in their bed with them, however one in 12 couples let their baby sleep in bed with them every single night until they were one

“The survey revealed that three out of five fathers get up in the middle of the night to care for their baby.

“This shows that fathers are taking a more active role in caring for their baby,” said Ali Blackwell-Cook, show director of The Baby Show. “The study has shown that a lack of sleep can have a detrimental affect on your happiness and well-being.”

Jo Tantum, the sleep specialist at The Baby Show, offers her top tips to ensure parents and baby have the perfect night’s sleep.

“Babies and toddlers relish routine and ritual so ensure that they have a bedtime routine which they can adapt to,” she says.

“Also treat every hour between 7pm and 7am as night time which means dark and quiet with no talking, games or activities. Baby will soon understand the difference between night-time and daytime.”