Dangerous baby-sleep advice given to parents by self-described experts, secret filming reveals

Key Points:

• A BBC investigation revealed that some self-described infant sleep experts are giving unsafe advice, including recommending front sleeping for newborns and placing towels or loose items in cots, both practices linked to increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
• The NHS and baby safety charities like The Lullaby Trust strongly advise placing babies on their backs to sleep on a firm, flat mattress, and warn that loose bedding or towels can cause suffocation or overheating.
• Undercover consultations with two prominent sleep consultants, Alison Scott-Wright and Lisa Clegg, exposed advice contradicting official guidelines, such as suggesting front sleeping and surrounding infants with fabric, prompting medical professionals to describe the guidance as "dangerous" and "horrifying."
• The infant sleep consulting industry is unregulated, allowing anyone to call themselves a sleep expert or maternity nurse, raising concerns about misinformation and risks to infant safety; the UK government plans to restrict use of the term "nurse" to qualified individuals.
• Families affected by unsafe advice are calling for mandatory training and regulation of paid infant sleep consultants to ensure parents receive evidence-based guidance and to protect babies from preventable harm.