Take part in research

Sometimes we are asked to share research opportunities with families. Sometimes we seek input from bereaved families, and sometimes from new and expectant parents or carers. Your input helps us work with researchers to keep babies safe, and keep grieving families supported.

A photo of a collection of images on a wall. It is family photos, predominantly babies.

Projects that families can take part in

We only promote research studies to families if we believe they are relevant to, or closely associated with, our work. Whilst we do ask for proof of ethical approval, we are not involved in running these studies and they may not be funded by The Lullaby Trust, so any questions you have should be directed to the study contacts below.

Projects we are funding

The ChildBone Study

The ChildBone Study, based at The University of Sheffield, in collaboration with Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, is working to revolutionise how children’s bones are studied.

The ChildBone study is trying to understand more about how children’s bones grow and how they might be affected by things like low vitamin D or other health conditions. Sometimes, these changes in bone strength and property aren’t visible on X-rays, so researchers need to look more closely at the bone tissue itself. For this study, the team will take two small samples from the ribs. Each sample would be about 3 to 4 centimetres long, and they would be used for mechanical testing to understand the material properties of the rib bones. The aim is to test the bone’s strength and structure, which could help us understand how children’s bones respond to different conditions, with different vitamin D levels. They will also build a database of different types of children’s bones. These virtual bones (or digital twins) will be used to predict fracture and study the effect of material properties on the strength of bone virtually (without actually breaking them). This knowledge could help improve care for other children in the future.

Families will be recruited for this study exclusively through coronial cases referred to the Sheffield Children’s Hospital, however if you are interested in supporting this project as part of Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE), please contact Dr Xinshan Li on [email protected]

End date: 31 August 2028

BabyLab and ToddlerLab are looking for babies and children to help with their research in understanding child development

BabyLab & ToddlerLab at the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development are in need of baby and child participants. Based at Birkbeck, University of London with a bright and cheerful reception with changing facilities and toys, their purpose-built labs are cutting-edge and harness the latest developments in technology to study child development. Signing up is free and easy and involves no commitment – it means they have the ability to contact parents when their baby or child matches the age group of one of their studies. The team will then invite them to take part and hope they say yes! They will refund travel costs and all babies/children who take part receive a certificate and small gift. The studies currently running look at a variety of topics including socialisation, listening preferences, attention, sleep, screen time, action control and noise in the home.

Learn more

Inform the design of a bereavement suite on a new neonatal unit

Are you a mother or father that has experienced the loss of a baby on a neonatal unit in the UK or Ireland since 1999? If so, please consider completing this questionnaire to help researchers from the University of Southampton develop a better understanding of ‘what parents want’ when experiencing the death of a baby on a neonatal unit. This short questionnaire consists of 20 questions designed to collect your thoughts and feedback from your own experiences, which will help inform a purpose-designed bereavement suite on a new neonatal unit, and improve bereavement services and facilities available to other bereaved parents.

Complete the questionnaire

Take part

Navigating physical activity in pregnancy after experiencing pregnancy loss

Researchers at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) would like to hear about your experiences of navigating physical activity in pregnancy after experiencing pregnancy loss. All experiences are welcome, whether you consider yourself active or not. Your insights could be valuable in improving the advice and care for people who experience pregnancy loss.

Who can take part?

If you:

Have experienced pregnancy loss
Are currently pregnant or have given birth in the past two years following a pregnancy that occurred after pregnancy loss

What’s involved?

You will be invited to participate in a 45-60 minute interview to talk about your experiences of pregnancy and pregnancy loss, your use of physical activity during pregnancy and what influenced your decisions about physical activity. This can take place at the Salomons Institute in Tunbridge Wells or online using Microsoft Teams. You will be offered a £10 Amazon voucher to thank you for your participation.

The researchers note that they use the term ‘women’ to refer to participants in this study, but acknowledge and respect that not all individuals who are childbearing identify this way. This study welcomes participation from people of all gender identities who are pregnant or one-year postpartum and have experienced pregnancy loss.

Learn more and register

Ask questions to lead researcher, Beki Brennan

Young fathers’ experiences

This research, based at the University of Lincoln, is aiming to better understand young fathers’ experiences of safer sleep, parenting, and infant care.

You can take part if you:

Are a father aged 18-25
Have become a father in the last two years
Currently live in the UK

You will:

Take part in an online 60 minute interview in English. You must be willing to be audio recorded.

You will receive a £15 Amazon voucher as a thank you for your time. If you’re interested, contact Sarah Turner on [email protected].

Email Sarah

Black women’s experiences of miscarriage

This research aims to explore Black women’s experiences of miscarriage in the UK, It also aims to understand the different types of support accessed during this period.

You can take part if you: