Put your baby down to nap near a washing machine, expert says

Researcher warns that dark daytime naps can disrupt babies' sleep when they properly go to bed at night

Babies should not be put in a dark, quiet room for a nap but in a light room with background noise like a washing machine, an expert has said.

Prof Helen Ball, a scientific adviser for the charity The Lullaby Trust who has carried out sleep research with more than 5,000 parents and babies at Durham University, said long daytime naps are like mini night times" that can disrupt babies' sleep when they properly go to bed.