‘Child sleep experts’ are giving parents advice that could KILL their babies, new research has found

Self-styled baby experts have been accused of giving unsafe advice to parents, including telling new mothers to put a newborn to sleep on their stomach.

A new investigation was launched after ‘dozens’ of concerned parents raised the alarm over advice they received after paying for consultations from two celebrity-endorsed ‘baby gurus’ with major social media platforms.

While the NHS advises new mothers to turn to their midwife and health visitor during the first few weeks and months of their baby’s life, many parents are turning to informal support networks and online resources to discuss their concerns and get guidance.

However, a lack of regulation means that anyone can call themselves a sleep or baby expert, despite not having the formal qualifications or industry support that many people would assume was self-evident.

The nature of social media means that these people can build large followings, giving them a platform to promote their services and advice.

Among those explicitly named in the research are Alison Scott-Wright – known as the ‘Magic Sleep Fairy’ – and Lisa Clegg, known on social media as ‘Blissful Baby Expert’.

Both women charge between £200 and £500 for an initial consultation, have celebrity endorsements and have published books. Together, these women have a combined 136,600 followers on Instagram alone.

The investigation, conducted by the BBC using secret recordings, showed Scott-Wright advising a reporter, posing as a new mother, to put a newborn baby to sleep on their stomach.

Self-styled baby experts give unsafe advice to parents, new research shows (stock)

This is despite extensive medical evidence that front-facing sleeping significantly increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (previously known as sudden infant death syndrome).

The NHS advises to ‘always place your baby on their back when sleeping’ in their own sleeping space, such as a cot, for the first 12 months to reduce the risk of cot death.

During the consultation, Scott-Wright called back sleeping “one of the biggest travesties of modern parenting” and claimed that every baby she works with sleeps on their stomach.

Experts consulted by the BBC called this the most dangerous statement she made.

The Lullaby Trust, a charity that aims to prevent unexpected deaths at a young age and promote baby health, is encouraging all parents to adopt back sleeping from day one.

The risk of cot death is particularly high for babies who are usually placed on their backs to sleep, but are sometimes placed on their stomachs or sides, the charity claims.

They add that parents should not tilt, tilt, or prop the mattress or crib because these methods do not help with reflux and are unlikely to improve cold symptoms.

The government’s Back to Sleep campaign was launched in 1991 by The Lullaby Trust and journalist Anne Diamond, who had lost her son to cot death that same year.

The launch of the ‘Back to Sleep’ campaign in 1991 is widely credited with dramatically reducing the number of unexplained infant deaths

In the years leading up to this, more than a thousand babies died unexpectedly every year in England and Wales, without an identifiable cause being found. That figure fell by 81 percent in the first 25 years of the campaign and has continued to fall since.

During the consultation, which the BBC reporter surreptitiously recorded, Scott-Wright said she had been a midwife but was no longer licensed to practise, adding: ‘there is no qualification anyone can have for what I do’.

Scott-Wright has appeared on ITV’s This Morning and has a book published by Penguin Random House, which appears to have been endorsed by celebrity parents including actress and parenting podcaster Giovanna Fletcher.

Scott-Wright also appeared on This Morning in 2024 as a sleep specialist for babies and children.

The BBC investigation found that a second ‘expert’, Lisa Clegg, recommended putting towels in the baby’s cot because this “It feels like she’s still being crushed” in the mother’s arms.

According to the Lullaby Trust, this is a practice that can cause overheating and increase the risk of cot death or suffocation

Loose objects such as towels can easily be moved by a baby over their own face, blocking breathing.

The safest environment is a flat, firm mattress without blankets, pillows, bumpers or stuffed animals.

This infographic outlines evidence-based practices recommended by The Lullaby Trust to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Both ‘experts’ investigated by the BBC call themselves ‘maternity nurses’.

Wes Streeting said the government plans to close this loophole by banning individuals from describing themselves as ‘nurses’ unless they have the right qualifications.

He told the BBC that ‘dangerous misinformation dressed up as expert advice is putting babies’ lives at risk – and it must stop.’

Scott-Wright told the BBC that she has “never claimed to be a doctor” and that her role with families is “a complement to – and not a substitute for – medical advice from qualified healthcare professionals.”

She added that her advice had “helped a huge number of babies, children, parents and families.” She said she took “the safety of babies and the well-being of families very seriously.”

Speaking to the BBC, Clegg said she is not aware of any families ‘raising concerns’ that she has given ‘unsafe’ advice – and that parents are coming to her due to ‘lack of support’ from the NHS.

She added that she had “successfully advised thousands of parents” on sleep and routines and that none of the advice was ever “dangerous or put babies at risk.”

The investigation comes next an inquest into the death of football manager Steve Bruce’s four-month-old grandson, Madison Bruce Smith.

A coroner concluded that the baby had died ‘while sleeping in his cot and had been placed on his stomach in an unsafe sleeping position’ by someone who described himself as a maternity nurse.

Streeting told the BBC that ‘dangerous misinformation dressed up as expert advice is putting babies’ lives at risk – and it must stop.’

The Bruce Smith family is calling for further regulation and ‘mandatory training’ for all those providing paid sleep care for babies and infants.

“No parent should ever have to wonder whether the person they trust to care for their baby is really qualified,” they told the BBC.

Lisa Clegg told the Daily Mail: ‘Over the last 25 years since I obtained my NNEB Diploma in Childcare and Education, I have had great success advising thousands of parents around the world on sleep and routines.

‘None of this advice has ever been dangerous or endangers babies. As a mother and Nanna myself, I understand first-hand the anxiety you have when you worry about every little thing to do with your children.”

The Daily Mail has contacted Alison Scott-Wright for further comment.