Mums walk the distance of UK to Switzerland to get their babies to sleep – and that’s just in the first year, says research

British mothers push their babies’ buggies more than 639 miles in the first year of their child’s life – just to get them to sleep – according to a new survey.

The poll of 2,000 mothers with children aged up to three years of age, conducted by Pampers Baby-Dry, found that mums take their babies out for a stroll in their pushchairs six times a week. That’s an average two-plus miles on every jaunt. In the course of the year, this totals 639 miles a year – a distance equivalent to London to Switzerland.

Apart from rocking a baby to sleep – the poll revealed that parents believe that taking their child for a stroll in the buggy is the most effective way to get them to sleep. Researchers found that 42 per cent of mothers said they regularly take their baby for a walk just to get them to drop off.

Pampers sleep expert Dr. Wendy Dean, a mum of four says: “Pushing a buggy over 600 miles is a very long way indeed!  Getting baby to sleep is a big source of stress for mums and it’s not surprising how many resort to a long walk to get baby to drift off, as it isn’t always easy. Babies need to learn how to settle themselves with the help of the right sleep routine and environment – and where possible I try and encourage other methods to help both mum and baby.”

The research showed that more than a third of parents (34 per cent) take their baby for a ride in the car in the hope they’ll drift off to sleep. According to the study, the average mum has to drive more than two-and-half miles before getting her baby to sleep.

More than half (55 per cent) of the mums quizzed for the survey said that getting a baby to sleep is one of the most stressful things about becoming a new parent and that if baby wakes again in the night, mothers take an average of thirty minutes each time trying to get them back to sleep again.

The survey also found that the typical new mum only manages to get an average of five hours sleep each night for the first three years of her baby’s life.

Pampers has developed four age related Soothologyâ„¢ routines with the help of sleep expert Wendy Dean, which aim to help ease families through their baby’s ever changing night-time needs: for 0-3 months olds, 4-6 month olds, 7-12 month olds and 12-plus month olds. The routines can be found in the land of golden sleep on the Pampers Village website www.pampers.co.uk/goldensleep, alongside other useful items and tips to help baby sleep through the night – including a sleep diary, lullabies, bedtime stories and a Q&A factsheet.