Self-described baby experts have been accused of giving unsafe advice to parents, including telling new mothers to place a newborn to sleep on their front.
A new investigation was launched after ‘dozens’ of worried parents raised the alarm about advice they received after paying for consultations from two celebrity-endorsed ‘baby gurus’ with huge 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 turn to informal support networks and online resources to discuss 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 backing that many people would assume was a given.
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 who have been explicitly named by the investigation 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. Between them, these women have a combined 136,600 followers on Instagram alone.
The investigation, carried out by the BBC using secret filming, showed Scott‑Wright advising a reporter, posing as a new mother, to place a newborn to sleep on their front.
Self-described baby experts are giving unsafe advice to parents, according to a new investigation (stock)
This is despite extensive medical evidence that front sleeping significantly increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) – previously known as cot death.
The NHS advises to ‘always place your baby on their back to sleep’ in their own sleep space, like a cot, for the first 12 months to reduce the risk of SIDS.
During the consultation, Scott‑Wright called back‑sleeping ‘one of the biggest travesties of modern-day parenting’ and claimed that every baby she works with sleeps on its front.
Experts consulted by the BBC described this as the most dangerous statement she made.
The Lullaby Trust, a charity which aims to prevent unexpected deaths in infancy and promote infant health, encourages all parents to follow back-sleeping from day one.
The risk of SIDS is particularly high for babies who are usually placed on their back to sleep but are sometimes placed on their front or side, the charity claims.
They add that parents should not incline, tilt or prop the mattress or cot as 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 SIDS that same year.
The launch of the ‘Back to Sleep’ campaign in 1991 is widely credited with a drastic reduction in unexplained infant deaths
In the years that preceded, more than 1,000 babies a year were dying unexpectedly in England and Wales, with no discernible cause found. That figure fell by 81 per cent in the first 25 years of the campaign and has continued to decline since.
During the consultation, which the BBC reporter recorded covertly, Scott-Wright said she had been a midwife but no longer had a licence to practise, adding, ‘there is no qualification that anyone could 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 as a guest on This Morning in 2024 as a sleep specialist for babies and children.
The BBC investigation found a second ‘expert’, Lisa Clegg, recommended placing towels in the infant’s cot, saying this would make the baby ‘feel like she’s still squished’ in the mother’s arms.
This is a practice the Lullaby Trust says can cause overheating and increase the risk of SIDS or suffocation
Loose items like towels can easily be moved by a baby over their own face, blocking their breathing.
The safest environment is a flat, firm mattress with no blankets, pillows, bumpers, or stuffed toys.
This infographic outlines evidence-based practices recommended by The Lullaby Trust to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Both of the ‘experts’ investigated by the BBC are self-described ‘maternity nurses’.
Wes Streeting said the government plans to close this loophole by restricting individuals from describing themselves as a ‘nurse’ unless they are appropriately qualified.
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 she has ‘never claimed to be a medical doctor’ and her role with families is ‘complementary to – not a replacement for – medical advice from qualified healthcare professionals.’
She added that her advice had ‘helped a multitude of babies, children, parents and families’. She said she took ‘infant safety and the well-being of families extremely seriously’.
Clegg responded to the BBC saying she is not aware of any families ‘raising concerns’ about her having given ‘unsafe’ advice – and that parents come to her because of ‘lack of support’ from the NHS.
She added that she had ‘successfully advised thousands of parents’ on sleep and routines and none of the advice has ever been ‘dangerous or put babies at risk’.
The investigation comes after an inquest into the death of football manager Steve Bruce’s four-month-old grandson, Madison Bruce Smith.
A coroner concluded the baby had died, ‘whilst asleep in his cot having been placed prone in an unsafe sleep position’ by someone who described themselves 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 individuals who provide paid sleep care for babies and infants.
‘No parent should ever have to question whether the person they have trusted to care for their baby is truly qualified,’ they told the BBC.
Lisa Clegg told the Daily Mail: ‘Over the last 25 years since I qualified with my NNEB Diploma in childcare and education, I have very successfully advised thousands of parents, all over the world, on sleep and routines.
‘None of this advice has ever been dangerous or puts babies at risk. I am a mother and Nanna myself, so understand first hand, the anxiety of worrying about every little thing to do with your children.’
The Daily Mail has contacted Alison Scott-Wright for further comment.
