If your baby is not sleeping well at night it may just be that they have a poor sleep rhythm and under 6 months of age it may be that they are hungry and need to wake for a feed. A small proportion, approximately 1-5% of infants have regurgitation and a small proportion of those will have significant acid reflux which interferes with their sleep rhythm, especially if they are waking in apparent discomfort and are relatively inconsolable. Of infants with gastro-oesophageal reflux there are a cross over with some who have a cow’s milk protein allergy – even if they are breast fed if mother is on a dairy containing diet.

It is important to access proper medical advice via your health visitor or general practitioner and if they feel it is appropriate they will refer on to a paediatrician. Occasionally families will search for ‘poor sleeping babies’ and/or other search terms like that and will find individuals who term themselves ‘sleep consultants’. It is important to remember that ‘sleep consultants’ are not necessarily medical or from a nursing background and are not a regulated group of medical professionals – i.e. they may not have medical qualifications or nursing qualifications. ‘The Lullaby Trust’ are a support group that have an App into which you can put your baby’s symptoms and it can suggest seeking medical attention where necessary. This is one of a number of available resources such as a parent-led medically overseen group called ‘Living With Reflux’ https://www.livingwithreflux.org/PLEASE

If you are concerned then you should seek medical attention, especially if your baby has a temperature you can’t get down with Calpol and especially if there is a non-blanching rash (when you put a glass on top of it, you can’t get rid of the rash) and if your baby is vomiting a great deal or doesn’t seem to be responding to you, or with any other concerns that you have. Dehydration can be identified if a baby is not feeding well by having dry nappies. Essentially if you are worried you should seek medical attention.

We do not advocate babies sleeping on their front as this has a higher chance of ‘cot death’ also called ‘sudden infant death syndrome’ than sleeping in other positions.

Prof Thomson is available to answer any questions you may have about anyone these issues.