Higher parenting stress and active and passive physical soothing styles are associated with more problematic infant sleep, while a more active recreationally oriented family climate was weakly associated with shorter sleep onset latency.
Key Findings
Results
Higher parenting stress was associated with more problematic infant sleep outcomes.
Study involved 1667 mothers initially, with follow-up from 1421 mothers and 1427 infants at 3 months and 1298 mothers and 1302 infants at 8 months.
Parenting stress was assessed using questionnaires completed before birth and when infants were 3 and 8 months old.
Cross-sectional data analysis used linear regression and parallel multivariable regression models with backward stepwise selection.
Models controlled for maternal age at birth, infant gender, older siblings, breastfeeding, and maternal education.
Results
Both active and passive physical soothing styles were associated with more problematic infant sleep.
Soothing methods were among the predictors selected based on statistical significance in pre-screening regression analyses.
Four sleep-related outcome variables were examined as dependent variables in the regression models.
The association applied to both active physical soothing (e.g., rocking) and passive physical soothing methods.
Findings held after controlling for maternal age, infant gender, older siblings, breastfeeding, and maternal education.
Results
Higher parental control showed a weak association with higher sleep problem severity scores in infants.
Parenting style, including the control dimension, was one of the four family environmental factors examined.
The association between control and sleep problem severity was described as weak.
Parenting style was assessed via maternal questionnaires completed across multiple time points.
This finding was identified through multivariable regression models built using backward stepwise selection.
Results
A more active recreationally oriented family climate was weakly associated with shorter sleep onset latency in infants.
Family climate was one of the four family environmental predictors examined in the study.
The association between recreational orientation of family climate and sleep onset latency was described as weak.
Sleep onset latency was one of the four sleep-related outcome variables examined.
The direction of the association was positive for infant sleep, with higher recreational orientation linked to shorter (better) sleep onset latency.
Methods
The study sample consisted of Finnish families recruited prenatally with longitudinal follow-up at 3 and 8 months postpartum.
Initially 1667 mothers participated, representing a Finnish population-based cohort.
At 3 months, follow-up data were available from 1421 mothers and 1427 infants.
At 8 months, follow-up data were available from 1298 mothers and 1302 infants.
Mothers completed questionnaires at three time points: before birth and when infants were 3 and 8 months old.
Cross-sectional data analysis was conducted at each time point using linear regression.
Conclusions
The authors recommend that social and healthcare services take into account the relationship between family environmental factors and infant sleep problems.
The study identified parenting stress, soothing styles, parental control, and family climate as relevant family-level factors associated with infant sleep.
The authors state 'it would be beneficial for social and healthcare services to take these findings into account.'
The study contributes to the existing body of research on children's sleeping problems and the family environment.
Findings are relevant for clinical and public health interventions targeting infant sleep difficulties.
What This Means
This research suggests that the family environment plays a meaningful role in how well infants sleep. Among Finnish families studied from before birth through the first eight months of an infant's life, researchers found that parents who experienced higher levels of parenting stress tended to report more sleep problems in their babies. Additionally, infants who were soothed to sleep through physical means — whether active methods like rocking or more passive physical contact — were more likely to have problematic sleep patterns. These findings held even after accounting for factors like the mother's age, whether the baby was breastfed, and whether there were older siblings in the home.
The study also found some weaker associations: families with higher levels of parental control tended to report slightly worse infant sleep problem severity, while families with a more active, recreation-oriented home environment reported slightly shorter times for their infants to fall asleep. These latter findings were described as weak, meaning they were statistically detectable but modest in size.
This research suggests that infant sleep is not just a matter of individual baby characteristics, but is shaped by the broader family context, including how stressed parents feel, how they respond to their baby's needs, and the general atmosphere of the home. This matters practically because it points to potential targets for support — helping parents manage stress and guiding them on sleep-promoting soothing strategies may benefit infant sleep outcomes. The authors suggest that healthcare and social services working with young families should consider these family-level factors when addressing infant sleep concerns.
Palm N, Pölkki P, Hämäläinen J, Kylliäinen A, Saarenpää-Heikkilä O, Töttö P, et al.. (2026). Relationship between family environmental factors and infant sleep: Family factors and infant sleep.. Infant mental health journal. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.70067