Bath, Book, Bed: Exhausted parents lose over 650 hours of sleep a year

Published on: 24 April 2017

Exhausted parents are losing out on over 650 hours of sleep a year, BookTrust research has found.

The survey of over 1,000 parents of children under the age of three - held to mark the launch of this year's BookTrust Bath, Book, Bed campaign - discovered that families consider a lack of sleep one of their most stressful challenges.

Bath, Book, Bed, which is supported by parenting expert Jo Frost and celebrity ambassador Daddy Pig, aims to help sleep-deprived parents by encouraging them to stick to a simple night-time routine.

And it seems a lack of sleep is making a real difference to families, with a fifth of new parents admitting that they have taken a day off work to catch up on lost sleep.

34% of parents who don't already follow the Bath, Book, Bed routine admitted that they eat poorly, 24% said they nod off during the day and 34% admitted that their sense of humour had taken a hit.

Jo Frost said:

BookTrust's Bath, Book, Bed campaign is a really straightforward approach to tackling a problem that most parents with young children face - the bedtime battle. Bedtime routines do not need to be complicated for especially tired parents on their last legs. Implementing healthy sleeping habits and a consistent bedtime routine will not only calm down the child and parents but also provide an environment so that both child and parent can read together, helping them both relax and wind down - meaning everyone will be well-rested, happier and healthier.

Parents will be able to see Jo speak about Bath, Book, Bed at two special events at intu Trafford Centre on 27 April and intu Lakeside on 28 April. Daddy Pig will also be on hand to offer his words of wisdom, while parents will be able to take advantage of the reading corner and pick up a booklet about the Bath, Book, Bed routine.

BookTrust has also compiled a list of the 10 Best Bedtime Books for families to share together.

Diana Gerald, CEO of BookTrust, said:

BookTrust understands how troublesome it can be for parents to get young children to sleep and we know that sometimes it can feel like a never-ending struggle, so we're sending out 450,000 copies of our Bath, Book, Bed booklet filled with advice and tips to help families tackle bedtime head on and ensure everyone gets a good night's sleep.

Find out more about Bath, Book, Bed here and get involved on social media by tweeting @BookTrust and using the hashtag #BathBookBed.