If you have winter colds especially if your children do, read on for what it does to family relationships, then soothe your own nerves with a lovely giveaway from Olbas and Jakemans.
I'm still plagued with my big childrens colds, I think that Mummy ear never quite goes. I am a light sleeper and if Paige or Conor (often as twins its both together) have colds I tend to wake, I sleep fitfully as they do, bunged up and feeling poorly.
The survey below shows the effect of colds on family's and the grumpy factor is one I can see shining through. Lack of sleep makes for overtired people and nerves are way shorter. I have to praise Chris, he sleeps like a log and a hurricane could pass his ear and he mayy not stir, but one word from me and he would and will get up and help out!
Bedtime barometer – the real impact of children’s colds
Two thirds of mums kept awake by their children’s colds
Dads revealed as sleep martyrs and late-night drivers
Half of parents argue because of their children’s colds
The true cost of children’s colds on parents has been revealed – with mums bearing the brunt of the resulting sleep deprivation and dads literally driving round the bend.
Parents lose almost 150 minutes (two-and a-half-hours) of sleep a night for three nights running on average when their children have a simple snuffle, with mums more than twice as likely to have a disturbed night, according to a survey of 2,000 UK parents for infant decongestant Olbas for Children.
But in the tussle for who gets a good night’s kip the male/female splits reveal dads believe their sleep is significantly more affected than mums give them credit for (37% v 22%). Yet five times more men than women (10% v 2%) claimed that no-one in the house suffered a disturbed night’s sleep as a result of their children’s cold.
Overall, 67% of parents said it is mum who is kept awake worrying about or dealing with the sniffs and snuffles. The knock-on effect results in 40% of parents taking two or more days off work each year due to basic tiredness while 42% of those surveyed admitted that a disturbed night’s sleep due to their children’s colds caused them to argue with their partner.
Olbas for Children’s spokesperson Hilary Lynn said: “Children have small air passages so even a minor blockage when suffering from a cold can affect their breathing pattern and ultimately disrupt not just their sleep, but their parents.”
“As every parent knows, sleep is already in short supply so anything that helps your child sleep soundly can help everyone get a better night’s sleep, leaving parents able to enjoy the daytime rather than having to miss out on playtime with their children or social and work events due to tiredness.”
Children are more susceptible to colds than adults and can suffer up to 10 a year. On average a child’s cold lasts for three days and three broken nights according to the survey with one in 10 households finding that everyone in the home is affected and the average adult losing two-and-a-half hours sleep a night.
For children aged three months to three years, 38% of parents use a mild decongestant such as Olbas for Children to restore peaceful nights, rising to 42% for children aged three to seven years old, according to the survey.
But many said they resort to other, more time-consuming, tactics – with dads in particular taking a hands-on approach. More than a third (35%) of men reported walking around the house rocking their child while one in five (20%) took them on a drive to try and get them to sleep.
Mums are nearly twice as likely to bring children under three into the parents’ bed than dads (30% v 17%) and are more likely to read their poorly child a story (34% v 28%) but mums and dads are on the same hymn sheet when it came to singing with 15% of both men and women resorting to song to soothe their little loved one.
According to The Sleep Council, just one hour less of sleep a night can cause considerable memory and concentration problems in young babies and children, as well as slowing down the recovery process from a cold or flu. And sleep also plays a crucial role for the rest of the family, in keeping common colds and flu at bay.
Olbas for Children’s Bedtime Barometer Survey – Results Breakdown*
*Participants in the survey were shown a list to select all the answers that applied to them (rather than picking one option exclusively).
Top five effects on parents of disturbed sleep as a result of their children’s colds:
Argue with partner 42%
Too tired to complete housework 36%
Succumb to illness 28%
Too tired to see friends 26%
Exercise falls by the wayside 21%
Top five techniques used to help relieve colds of children (3 months to 3 years)
Use a mild decongestant 38%
Walk around the house rocking them 32%
Create a steamy environment to help inhalation 29%
Read them a story 26%
Let them sleep in your bed 26%
Top five techniques used to help relieve colds of children (3 – 7 years)
Use a mild decongestant 42%
Read them a story 32%
Let them sleep in your bed 30%
Create a steamy environment to help inhalation 26%
Lie down with them in their bed 25%
When your child has a cold, who is likely to be kept awake?
|
Overall perception
|
Mum’s perception
|
Dad’s perception
|
The child suffering from the cold
|
54%
|
59%
|
43%
|
The mum
|
67%
|
75%
|
54%
|
The dad
|
27%
|
22%
|
37%
|
Other children in the family
|
9%
|
9%
|
9%
|
The whole household
|
10%
|
10%
|
11%
|
None of the above
|
5%
|
2%
|
10%
|
Now to win some help with winter colds why not enter my giveaway, Olbas and Jakemans will soothe away some of the effects with this nice prize.
They are offering one winner 2 x bottles of Olbas Bath, 2 x Jakemans Mini Honey & Lemon and 2 x Jakemans Mini Throat & Chest.
Just fill in the easypeasy rafflecopter below.
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