Associations Between Diaper Need and Child Sleep in Under-resourced Families

Objective: Sleep is critical for child health, but factors related to poverty create barriers to the achievement of healthful sleep. In this study, we examined the associations of insufficient diaper supply, a measure of material hardship, with child sleep. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 129 parents of very young children. Each participant responded to an online material hardship assessment and the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire-Revised. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the relationship between diaper need and sleep. Results: Controlling for family and socioeconomic variables, diaper need was associated with disrupted, shorter sleep periods (beta = -11.95, p < 0.001) and lower total sleep scores (beta = -6.49, p = 0.004). High diaper need was associated with parent perception of poor sleep (beta = -7.28, p = 0.017). Conclusion: The findings suggest that an inadequate supply of diapers adversely affects children's sleep. Further research should evaluate how screening and connecting families to resources may improve pediatric sleep.