Based on 32,058 parents surveyed across 97 countries
The State of Parent & Baby Sleep 2026
The largest survey of its kind reveals what’s really happening behind closed nursery doors — and it’s not what the highlight reels show.
Key Findings
0%
getting <6 hours of sleep
0%
feel exhausted or drained
0%
of babies wake 3+ times at 7–9 months
0%
of babies fall asleep independently
4 in 5 parents in our survey are running on less than six hours of sleep a night. This isn’t a phase. For most families, it’s the baseline.
The 7–9 Month Peak Nobody Warns You About
Everyone talks about the 4-month regression. But our data shows the real peak in night waking happens at 7–9 months, when 69% of babies wake 3 or more times a night. That’s higher than any other age.
Baby age → % waking 3+ times per night
How Are Parents Really Feeling?
46.9%
Exhausted
35.0%
Drained
17.4%
Okay
0.7%
Energized
Less than 1% of parents in our survey described themselves as “energized.” The vast majority — 82% — are running on empty.
The #1 Goal: Fewer Night Wakeups
What parents told us they want most
Night waking dominated parents’ concerns by a wide margin — more than twice as many parents cited it as their top goal compared with bedtime battles or nap issues.
How Are Babies Actually Falling Asleep?
Methods parents use to settle their baby
Fewer than 1 in 10 babies in our survey fall asleep on their own. Independent sleep isn’t the norm — it’s the exception.
The Ripple Effect of Sleep Deprivation
Areas of life parents say are most affected
Nearly three-quarters of parents say sleep deprivation has affected their mood and patience — making it the single most impacted area of daily life, ahead of even self-care and partner relationships.
What Sleep Deprivation Looks Like Day to Day
Behaviors parents report experiencing regularly
More parents report feeling distant from their partner than any other daily behavior — suggesting that sleep deprivation doesn’t just affect the individual, it quietly erodes the relationship that holds the family together.
From 10,654 written responses
What Parents Told Us In Their Own Words
Beyond the multiple-choice answers, one in three parents wrote additional context about their situation. Here’s what emerged.
The Co-Sleeping Reality: Survival, Not Strategy
Over half of parents who shared additional context mentioned co-sleeping — and the overwhelming pattern wasn’t planned co-sleeping. It was desperation. Parents described falling into bed-sharing after months of failed attempts to get their baby to sleep independently.
54%
mention co-sleeping
of parents who wrote in
68%
of co-sleepers’ babies wake 3+ times
vs 57% for others
40%
describe it as unplanned
falling into it from exhaustion
What parents are saying
“We end up co-sleeping after the first 2–3 night wakings. I never planned this.”
“Co-sleeping but wish we weren’t. Waking 7–12 times a night. Comfort feeding.”
“We co-sleep out of desperation. I never get a sleep.”
“She starts in her room then walks into ours at 2am. When I’m too tired, we just co-sleep.”
The Reflux Surprise
14% of parents mentioned reflux in their written responses — making it the third most common theme after co-sleeping and contact naps. But here’s what surprised us: babies with reflux don’t actually wake more than other babies.
Babies with reflux
56%
wake 3+ times per night
Babies without reflux
59%
wake 3+ times per night
This challenges the common assumption that reflux is the root cause of night waking. While reflux is real and uncomfortable, the data suggests that frequent waking is near-universal across this age group — reflux or not. Parents of reflux babies may be attributing normal developmental waking to their child’s reflux.
The Contact Nap Cycle
22% of parents who wrote in mentioned contact napping — holding their baby for the entire duration of every nap. It’s often described alongside co-sleeping as part of a broader pattern of around-the-clock physical dependency.
62%
of contact nappers’ babies nap under 60 min
vs 56% for others
10%
report both co-sleeping AND contact naps
around-the-clock holding
What parents are saying
“Contact naps only. Currently cosleeping a lot.”
“Naps the best when contact napping. Won’t go down in her crib.”
“She loves contact naps and falling asleep on me. I can’t put her down without her waking instantly.”
“Mix of contact naps, pram naps, cot naps during the day. Our toddler is also in my care so sometimes naps are impacted.”
If this data feels familiar, you don’t have to figure it out alone. Every baby is different — and so is the solution.
Get a personalized sleep plan for you and your baby
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Full dataset: 155 regions and 124 cities."}
Key Findings: The State of Parent and Baby Sleep 2026
Based on 32,058 parents surveyed across 97 countries.
78.6% of parents are getting less than 6 hours of sleep per night.
81.9% of parents feel exhausted or drained.
69.2% of babies wake 3 or more times per night at 7 to 9 months, the peak age.
Only 9.4% of babies fall asleep independently.
Percentage of Babies Waking 3+ Times per Night, by Age
Mood and patience: 73.6%. Self-care: 68.1%. Partner and family: 66.7%. Physical health: 47.9%. Enjoyment of life: 32.1%. Work focus: 27.3%. Friendships and social life: 20.9%.
What Sleep Deprivation Looks Like Day to Day
Feeling distant from partner: 68.8%. Struggling with daily tasks: 64.8%. Skipping things they enjoy: 54.9%. Eating cold meals: 39.4%. Cancelling plans: 30.7%.
Co-Sleeping: Survival, Not Strategy
From 10,654 written responses: 54% mention co-sleeping. 68% of co-sleepers babies wake 3+ times (vs 57% for others). 40% describe it as unplanned, falling into it from exhaustion.
The Reflux Surprise
14% mentioned reflux. Babies with reflux: 56% wake 3+ times. Babies without reflux: 59% wake 3+ times. Reflux babies do not actually wake more often.
The Contact Nap Cycle
22% mentioned contact napping. 62% of contact nappers babies nap under 60 minutes (vs 56% for others). 10% report both co-sleeping and contact naps.
Exhaustion Rates by Country
Parent exhaustion and sleep data across 33 countries from the Betteroo 2026 Sleep Report
