Sleep is crucial for babies, and to mark World Sleep Day, which fell on March 21, diaper brand Pampers is promoting awareness on sleep training for the young ones.

According to a White Paper on the Sleep Quality of Chinese Babies released in December less than 6 percent of parents know why their babies do not enjoy a good night's sleep.

"Many parents do not have an understanding of the importance of teaching a baby to sleep," says Wang Ronghui, an infant development expert, who is also a baby sleep consultant. "Recent research in Canada shows that proper education on baby sleep training could resolve 40 percent of babies' sleep problems," says Wang.

The consultant also suggests that parents pay attention to their baby's signals to guide the baby to sleep, such as the beginning of a trance and the gradual quietness of the body.

"Cradle songs are important and effective in comforting and calming babies and guiding them to fall asleep," she says.

According to the White Paper, babies aged between 6 and 12 months in particular have restless nights and wake up multiples times.

"And wet and leaky diapers can disrupt their sleep," says Wang. "So, overnight diapers are better because they are thicker and more absorbent than regular ones."

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Less than 6 percent of Chinese parents know why their babies do not sleep well at night

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