ISIS
Welcome to ISIS!
ISIS provides information about normal infant sleep based upon the latest UK and world-wide research.
ISIS is a collaboration between Durham University Parent-Infant Sleep Lab, La Leche League, NCT, and UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative, funded by a grant from the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council).
This website is about normal infant sleep. We use 'normal' to mean 'what is biologically expected for humans'. Our starting point is that sleep is a biological need. We present information about what is biologically normal for human babies. We also discuss how this may vary due to different cultural behaviours and expectations such as what babies are fed, where they sleep, and how societies interpret their needs.
This information is for:
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parents who wish to make informed choices about infant sleep and night-time care,
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health professionals who wish to share evidence-based information with parents about infant sleep.
Links on this home-page lead to information summaries for Parents (links in the side-bar are in purple text). Links on the pages under 'Health Professionals' lead to detailed information on the same topics (in this section side-bar links are in blue text). Wherever you see a click for information about research studies, definitions of terms, and links to other pages on ISIS or on external sites. To return to this page from anywhere on the site click 'Home' or the ISIS logo at top left.
ISIS does not address clinical sleep problems or provide individual sleep advice and parents should contact a health professional with any concerns about their baby's health. For information about the organisations and funding that support ISIS please see 'About Us'.
Response to new analysis of bed-sharing and SIDS: Carpenter et al (2013) in BMJ Open
This publication analyses SIDS-risks associated with bed-sharing under different circumstances using data from five historical SIDS studies. Unlike previous analyses of these data, this analysis includes data on feeding type. It promises, at last, to enable those of us working with parents and the staff who support them to be able to answer complicated but commonly asked questions about SIDS, and allow parents to make informed decisions about any potential risk associated with their personal and cultural infant care beliefs and behaviours...
To read our full commentary on this paper, please click here.
You can also click to read responses from UNICEF BFI; NCT and the Lullaby Trust.
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