Lullaby Trust and MP Demand Urgent Regulation for Unqualified Infant Sleep Consultants

The UK's leading baby-safety charity, The Lullaby Trust, and Liberal Democrat MP Tom Morrison have formally petitioned Health Secretary Wes Streeting for immediate regulation of the infant sleep industry. Their letter urges Streeting to "ensure that no more babies' lives are put at risk due to unregulated and bogus sleep advice."

This intervention follows a recent investigation that uncovered self-described sleep experts offering new parents guidance directly at odds with established NHS safer sleep guidelines. Streeting acknowledged that "dangerous misinformation dressed up as expert advice... must stop," advocating reliance solely on "trusted, evidence-based information" such as the NHS Best Start in Life website.

While the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced in March that legislation would limit the use of the title 'nurse', prohibiting individuals working as night nannies from operating as "maternity nurses," critics argue this measure is insufficient. The death of football manager Steve Bruce's four-month-old grandson, Madison Bruce Smith, after being placed on his front by someone calling themselves a maternity nurse, underscores demands for broader regulatory reform.

Currently, the infant sleep sector operates without oversight; anyone can claim expertise regardless of qualifications. This absence of regulation allows individuals to disseminate advice that could elevate the risk of harm to babies, including Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), without accountability. Madison Bruce Smith's family emphasised that "no parent should ever have to question whether the person they have trusted to care for their baby is truly qualified," advocating for "clear standards and accountability."

Morrison, MP for Cheadle, reiterated calls for comprehensive regulation in his communication to Streeting, questioning "what more can be done to legislate to prevent life-threatening advice being given to parents." The investigation's findings, which revealed two prominent sleep figures with significant public platforms dispensing medically unsound advice, have been described by NHS clinicians as "sick" and "horrified."

Medical professionals, researchers, and families affected by infant deaths under unsafe care are supporting the push for regulation. The Lullaby Trust insists that "anyone advising families on infant sleep, or placing babies to sleep, should be held to clear standards for the guidance they provide," at a minimum adhering to NHS recommendations in the absence of medical qualifications. The vulnerability of new parents, often seeking support not readily available through public services, makes this regulatory gap particularly perilous.