Is Sleep Training Safe? Why I support regulation in the sleep industry

When the recent BBC investigation into the baby sleep industry was released, I wasn't shocked. Concerned? Absolutely. But surprised? Not really.

As both a Social Worker and Paediatric Sleep Practitioner, I've spent years working with families, and one thing I've learnt is that exhausted parents can be incredibly vulnerable. Not vulnerable because they're incapable of making good decisions, but because sleep deprivation affects everything.

A parent who hasn't slept properly for months might try almost anything if they believe it might help their child sleep.

I've seen families spend hundreds of pounds on products they didn't need. I've spoken to parents who were convinced they had somehow "broken" or “spoiled” their baby because an online expert told them their child should be sleeping through the night. I've met parents who felt guilty for responding to their baby at night because they had been told they were creating bad habits.

That's why the BBC investigation mattered. It highlighted something many professionals have been concerned about for a long time; anyone can currently call themselves a sleep expert, regardless of their qualifications, training or understanding of infant safety. 

Regulation isn't something we should fear

I've noticed some debate online since the story broke. Some people worry that regulation will limit choice for families. Others worry it will make support harder to access.

Personally, I support regulation. I support clearer standards, mandatory safeguarding training and transparency around qualifications. Most importantly, I support parents being able to make informed decisions about who they trust with advice about their children. 

In social work, accountability and regulation is simply part of the job. We work within professional frameworks. We have codes of conduct, safeguarding responsibilities, registration with Social Work England, mandatory Continued Professional Development (CPD) and clear legal parameters within which we work.

I don't see why parents should expect anything less from someone providing sleep support. In fact, I'd argue qualified practitioners should welcome regulation. It protects families, it protects children and it protects the many ethical practitioners who are already working to high standards.

Qualifications matter but they aren't everything

A certificate on a website doesn't automatically make someone safe. Equally, a large social media following doesn't mean someone knows what they're talking about. What matters is how training is applied in practice.

One of the reasons I chose to complete a Level 6 OCN Paediatric Sleep Practitioner qualification was because I wanted my advice to be grounded in evidence, child development and safety. Although there is no current mandated level of training, this was the highest level I could achieve and I was proud to pay to complete it.

My background in social work influences my sleep practice every day. When a family contacts me because their toddler is waking repeatedly overnight, I'm not immediately looking for a sleep training method. I'm curious about what's happening in that child's world. Have they recently started nursery? Has there been a house move? Has there been a big change in the home? Is a new sibling on the way? What is their temperament? Could there be an underlying medical issue? Sometimes the answer is sleep-related. Sometimes it isn't.

Children don't exist in isolation or neat little categories and neither do sleep difficulties. It requires a holistic, bespoke and relational approach. 

A recurring conversation

One of the most common things parents say to me is "I think I'm doing something wrong." Often they aren't. A few months ago, I worked with a family whose baby had started waking every couple of hours overnight and Mum was breastfeeding them back to sleep. The parents had become convinced they were creating the problem because they'd read online that feeding to sleep was a bad habit.

When we looked at the bigger picture, there had been a family bereavement, their child was learning to crawl and there had been lots of recent periods of illness in the home. In other words, their baby was behaving exactly like a baby and they were responding in exactly the way needed.

No fancy sleep strategy was required. What they actually needed was reassurance, realistic expectations and a plan that helped them survive a demanding phase.

As professionals, we need to be careful not to pathologise normal childhood behaviour. Not every sleep challenge requires intervention.

Safety must always come first

One aspect of the BBC investigation that particularly concerned me involved advice that contradicted established safer sleep guidance. 

The Lullaby Trust continues to recommend that babies are placed on their backs to sleep, on a firm and flat sleep surface, with a clear sleep space and without loose bedding or items in the cot. That guidance isn't optional. It's the foundation on which all sleep support should sit.

If advice conflicts with safer sleep recommendations, that's a significant concern regardless of who is giving it.

What parents should look for

Rather than asking whether someone has ten thousand followers or a beautifully designed website, I'd encourage parents to ask different questions.

• What training have they completed?

• Do they understand child development?

• Do they follow NHS and Lullaby Trust guidance?

• Can they explain the evidence behind their recommendations?

• Do they recognise when something requires medical assessment?

  
  

Most qualified practitioners won't be offended by those questions. I'd be more concerned if they avoided answering them.

My view

The recent parliamentary debate described parts of the sleep industry as a "Wild West". While I know many excellent practitioners doing thoughtful, evidence-based work, I also understand why those concerns have been raised. Families deserve clarity and transparency. They deserve to know whether the person advising them has relevant training, understands safeguarding and follows established safety guidance.

As a Social Worker and Paediatric Sleep Practitioner, I support efforts to improve standards across the industry. Not because I think every sleep consultant is a problem, quite the opposite.

The vast majority of the Sleep Practitioners I know and trained with care deeply about families and children's wellbeing. Regulation would help parents distinguish between evidence-based support and unqualified opinion or unsafe advice which can only be a positive step forward.

After all, when parents are seeking help at 2am, holding a baby who has been awake for the third time that night, they shouldn't have to worry that those they turn to for support and advice that could put their children’s safety at risk. 

Source: BBC News, "Calls for 'urgent action' on baby-sleep industry after BBC investigation" (12 May 2026). Screenshot reproduced for the purposes of commentary and review. Read the original article here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c232glp2ej8o