Growing demand from sleep-deprived parents has prompted a pair of leading Australian child health nurses to develop a world-first app that teaches the skills required to get a baby to sleep and keep it that way.
Rockabub co-creator Helen Stevens, who has been working with parents and babies for more than 20 years, said that a child’s midnight crying sessions tested even the most patient parents after birth. But when those fitful nights stretched on for months without reprieve, it could be torture.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the app which was produced by Ms Helen Stevens and fellow nurse Cindy Davenport guides parents through the steps to settle a child, with different options at each point in case something doesn’t work.
But the app steers clear of controlled crying, where parents let their baby cry for a prescribed period before intervening, due to recent research suggesting it could affect a child’s emotional wellbeing.
Davenport said the aim was to provide accurate, current information to help parents understand babies’ needs.