What is 'normal' baby sleep? How evolutionary clues, not cultural expectations, can help new parents

By Helen Ball, Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Parent-Infant Sleep Lab, Durham University

The sleep disruption of new parenthood is both well known yet unexpected. While new parents are aware that babies need frequent night time care, the reality is often a cruel surprise. “What’s wrong with my baby?” new parents ask themselves, or “what’s wrong with me that I can’t get this baby to sleep?”

If you are facing this, you are not a bad parent, nor is your baby abnormal. You are simply asking the wrong questions.…

Read complete article

~	Getting more men into nursing means a rethink of gender roles, pay and recognition. But we need them urgently

~	Sam Uffindell was lucky to avoid NZ’s criminal justice system as a schoolboy – but it was the right outcome

~	NZ's first climate adaptation plan is a good start, but crucial questions about cost and timing must be answered

~	To lock out foot-and-mouth disease, Australia must help our neighbour countries bolster their biosecurity

~	Friday essay: sex, swimming and smudgy louvres – watching Monkey Grip 40 years on

~	Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon confirms there will be no sexual violence on screen. Here's why that's important

~	These unusual moths migrate over thousands of kilometres. We tracked them to reveal their secret navigational skills

~	Beyond net-zero: we should, if we can, cool the planet back to pre-industrial levels

~	Why doesn't monkeypox have a new name yet?

~	Australia's teacher shortage won't be solved until we treat teaching as a profession, not a trade