COVID-19 babies: auto-videosomnography and parent reports of infant sleep, screen time, and parent well-being in 2019 vs 2020.

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted families, yet studies on its effects on infants and their parents have thus far been sparse and based mostly on retrospective parent reporting. This study aimed to prospectively evaluate the impact of COVID-19 living conditions on infant and parent sleep, as well as infant screen exposure, parent daytime sleepiness, and parent depression levels, using multi-method assessment. METHODS: Infant and parent data collected in 2020 were compared with a matched cohort collected in 2019. The total sample included 1518 US infants aged 1-18 months (M = 8.5, SD = 4.6; 54% boys). Auto-videosomnography metrics were obtained from the 14-day period prior to survey completion (number of analyzed nights: M = 12.11 SD = 2.66 in the 2019 cohort; and M = 11.91 SD = 2.41 in the 2020 cohort). Parents completed online questionnaires regarding their infant's sleep and screen exposure, as well as their own sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, and depression levels. RESULTS: Compared to 2019, infants in 2020 slept ∼40 min more per night on average, as indicated by auto-videosomnography. Infants additionally had earlier sleep timing, and increased parent-reported sleep-onset latency and nocturnal wakefulness. Infant screen time rose by 18.3 min per day for older infants, but remained stable for younger infants. Parents reported lower daytime sleepiness and higher depression symptomology during 2020, whereas no change was apparent in their sleep quality ratings. CONCLUSIONS: Restricted living conditions during COVID-19 in the USA led to increased infant screen exposure and parental depression, but also to increased infant sleep duration and reduced parent sleepiness. Future research is needed to examine the mechanistic pathways through which COVID-19 impacted on infant and parent well-being.

Infant sleep during COVID-19: Longitudinal analysis of infants of US mothers in home confinement versus working as usual.

OBJECTIVES: This study longitudinally compared the sleep of infants in the United States whose mothers were in home confinement to those whose mothers were working as usual throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Mothers of 572 infants (46% girls) aged 1-12 months (M = 5.9, standard deviation = 2.9) participated. Assessments were conducted on 4 occasions from late March to May 2020. Infant sleep was measured objectively using auto-videosomnography. Mothers reported their sheltering status, demographic characteristics, and infant sleep. RESULTS: Infants of mothers in home confinement had later sleep offset times and longer nighttime sleep durations, compared to infants of mothers who were working as usual. At the end of March, these infants also had earlier bedtimes, more nighttime awakenings, and more parental nighttime visits, but differences were not apparent during April and May. CONCLUSIONS: Living restrictions issued in the United States may have led to longer sleep durations and temporary delays in sleep consolidation for infants of mothers in home confinement.