All mums want for Christmas is the gift of sleep, new research shows

Jody Coffey

It may or may come as a surprise to you, but almost 20% of mothers in Ireland would choose the gift of sleep this Christmas.

Research conducted by Mind Mummy Coaching gathered results from over 1,900 mums across Ireland and the UK in recent months which gives an insight into what mum’s really want this Christmas.

The first thing that may come to mind might be skincare or her favourite perfume, which are undeniably thoughtful gifts.

However, going a little bit deeper than material gifts may be the way to give the mum’s in our lives the Christmas gift they really want.

Many of the statistics are the unspoken reality of many mothers.

A total of 30% of mothers in Ireland would love the gift of ‘time alone’ for Christmas.

Meanwhile, 28.5% of mothers admitted their ideal gift would be to see their partner help share the mental load more evenly instead of receiving any type of material gift this festive season.

Maternal mental health life coach Laura Guckian of Mind Mommy Coaching says the research yielded unsurprising results.

“It comes as no surprise that all mothers really want for Christmas is sleep and time alone,” Laura says.

90% of women said that their experience is that there is an unequal sharing of responsibilities when it comes to the mental load, and 90% admitted that their reality of motherhood feels harder than they imagined prior to having children.

The research also found that almost 37% of mums claimed that they go to bed three to four times a week with feelings of ‘Mom Guilt’ so it is completely understandable that 22% of mothers confessed that all they want for Christmas is to feel like they’re a good enough mum to their children.

“Material gifts are can feel nice, but they only give short term happiness. It’s like putting a plaster on a leak. I wanted to find out what Mothers really want – and need – this Christmas, and the results align with what I hear from my clients every day,” Laura explains.

“What moms really need are tools to help them navigate the daily challenges that motherhood brings. So that they can achieve positive mental health in a sustainable and realistic manner.”

Findings from the research showed that more than half of the respondents claim that they ‘rarely’ get a break from motherhood, with close to 10% admitting they never do.

Over a third say that if they do get a break, it comes in the form of a long, hot shower. This is something that Laura says is ‘a very sad statistic’.

“A shower is a basic need yet is not considered a break to many moms. So let’s try not to give moms a gift that will only offer a very short burst of happiness; let’s try to give them the gift of sleep, time, and tools to support their mental wellbeing every day. After all, Christmas is just one day,” the life coach urges.

Mind Mommy Coaching is a life coaching service devoted to normalising the struggles of all stages of motherhood and supporting mothers as they navigate those challenges and help them achieve positive mental wellbeing.