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iPhone app helped parents of children with sleep problems

NEW ORLEANS — Parents of young children seemed enthusiastic about an iPhone application for infant and toddler sleep issues, which attracted almost 8,000 users, according to study results presented here at the 2012 AAP National Conference and Exhibition.

“Research has shown that behaviorally based interventions are highly effective for infant and toddler sleep disturbances,” Jodi A. Mindell, PhD, of Saint Joseph’s University and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said in a press release. “Yet, they do require personal contact with a trained professional. As a result, many children go untreated.”

The free iPhone application is designed to aid sleep in young children. Mindell and colleagues collected data from 7,889 consecutive users during a 3-month period. Most users were mothers (69%) and their average age was 28 years. Most of the children of the users were infants aged 3 to 11 months (68%).

Of the users, 365 submitted a question to the “Ask the Expert” section. Most questions (75.1%) were presented by mothers and were about infants aged 3 to 11 months (65.3%). There were equal numbers of questions for boys and girls.

The most common concerns of users were about night wakings, which comprised 22.7% of the questions, followed by sleep problems (22.2%) and general sleep questions. Fewer questions were submitted about napping, bedtime and sleep safety. The most common time for questions to be submitted was between midnight and 6 a.m., when 37% of the questions were submitted.

“Our results found that the most common questions that parents ask pertain to sleep problems and night waking,” Mindell said. “These questions are most often submitted in the evening and even overnight — times when professional help is typically not available.”

For more information:

Mindell J. Session 18447. Presented at: AAP National Conference and Exhibition; Oct. 20-23, 2012; New Orleans.

Disclosure: Mindell reports no relevant financial disclosures.