Trying to Do What's Best: Maternal Perspectives About Toddler Sleep Health Among an Underresourced Sample of Mothers With Diverse Racial and Ethnic Identities

Abstract

This study describes mothers' knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices about their toddler's sleep health among an underresourced sample of mothers with diverse racial and ethnic identities. This was a descriptive qualitative study with 16 mothers and their 12- to 36-month-old child. Mothers completed a semistructured, audio-recorded interview about their toddler's sleep health. Data were analyzed using inductive content analysis on the basis of established methods. Mothers self-identified as 18.8% Black, 43.8% White, 12.5% multiracial, 25.0% other race, and 37.5% Hispanic. Of the mothers, 80.0% reported a past year household income of ≤ $40,000. A core construct, "Trying to do What's Best," emerged from the interview data, and this construct included three domains: Getting Good Sleep, Getting Thrown Off, and Rolling With It. Findings support future strengths-based and multilevel sleep health-promoting interventions.