You're running into a common challenge! Pediatric research often gets overshadowed by adult studies, and effective age-specific filtering is key.

Let's break down how to effectively use age-specific filters, especially the Cochrane pediatric filter, and build a robust search strategy for pediatric sleep interventions.

1. Using the Cochrane Pediatric Filter

The "Cochrane pediatric filter" isn't a single clickable button, but rather a pre-defined, validated search strategy (a set of terms and Boolean operators) designed to retrieve studies on children, infants, and adolescents. It combines controlled vocabulary (like MeSH terms) with keywords to maximize sensitivity and specificity for pediatric populations.

Here's how to use it and a common version:

A. How to Use it in the Cochrane Library:

• Go to the Cochrane Library: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/


• Navigate to Advanced Search: Look for "Advanced Search" or "Search Manager" on the homepage.


• Copy and Paste the Pediatric Filter:

Common Cochrane Pediatric Search Filter (Example - you might need to adapt slightly for specific databases or if Cochrane has an updated version):

(child OR children OR pediatric OR paediatric OR infant OR infants OR neonate OR neonatal OR newborn OR toddler OR toddlers OR adolescent OR adolescents OR school age OR "school-age" OR "young adult*" OR "juvenile" OR "juveniles" OR "preschool" OR "pre-school" OR "schoolchild" OR "school-child" OR "teenager" OR "teenagers" OR "childhood") OR ("MeSH descriptor": [Child] expl) OR ("MeSH descriptor": [Infant] expl) OR ("MeSH descriptor": [Adolescent] expl) OR ("MeSH descriptor": [Pediatrics] expl)

• Explanation:


• OR connects all the different terms for children/age groups, ensuring you catch any of them.


• (truncation) captures variations (e.g., adolescent gets adolescent, adolescents).


• "MeSH descriptor": [X] expl uses the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) controlled vocabulary, expanding (expl) to include all narrower terms under "Child," "Infant," "Adolescent," and "Pediatrics." This is highly effective.


• For the Cochrane Library, the exact syntax for MeSH terms might be [Mesh]Child or similar. The Cochrane database automatically maps many keywords to MeSH, but explicitly using [MeSH descriptor:X] is safer.


• Combine with Your Intervention/Outcome Terms:

Example Steps in Cochrane's Advanced Search:

• Search 1: (child OR children OR pediatric OR paediatric OR infant OR infants OR neonate OR neonatal OR newborn OR toddler OR toddlers OR adolescent OR adolescents OR school age OR "school-age" OR "young adult*" OR "juvenile" OR "juveniles" OR "preschool" OR "pre-school" OR "schoolchild" OR "school-child" OR "teenager" OR "teenagers" OR "childhood") OR ("MeSH descriptor": [Child] expl) OR ("MeSH descriptor": [Infant] expl) OR ("MeSH descriptor": [Adolescent] expl) OR ("MeSH descriptor": [Pediatrics] expl)


• Search 2 (Sleep Intervention Terms): (sleep adj3 (intervent OR therap OR treatment OR program OR education* OR CBT-I OR "cognitive behavioral" OR "behavioral sleep" OR hygiene OR melatonin OR "light therapy" OR "parent training"))


• Search 3 (Sleep Outcome Terms - Optional, but good for focus): (sleep OR insomnia OR "sleep disorder" OR "sleep quality" OR "sleep duration" OR "sleep latency" OR "night awakenings" OR parasomnia)


• Search 4 (Final Combination): #1 AND #2 AND #3 (or #1 AND #2 if you find #3 too restrictive initially).

2. General Age-Specific Search Filters (Beyond Cochrane)

Most major bibliographic databases offer robust age-specific filtering options.

A. Using Keywords for Age:

This is the simplest starting point and should always be included, as not all studies are perfectly indexed with controlled vocabulary.

• child* (captures child, children, childhood)


• pediatric OR paediatric (use both spellings!)


• infant* (infant, infancy)


• neonate OR newborn


• toddler*


• adolescent OR teen OR juvenile*


• "school age" OR "school-age"


• "preschool" OR "pre-school"


• You can also specify age ranges: "0-18 years" OR "0-12 years" OR "birth-18" etc.

These are powerful and more precise than keywords alone because they map to a standardized concept, regardless of the author's exact phrasing.

• PubMed (using MeSH - Medical Subject Headings):


• Go to PubMed.


• In your search query, use terms like:


• "Child"[Mesh] (0-18 years)


• "Infant"[Mesh] (1-23 months)


• "Infant, Newborn"[Mesh] (0-1 month)


• "Child, Preschool"[Mesh] (2-5 years)


• "Child"[Mesh] (6-12 years – note: the "Child" MeSH term covers 6-12 generally, but the broader "Child" entry covers 0-18. It's often best to use the more specific terms or let the "Child"[Mesh] term explode for full coverage)


• "Adolescent"[Mesh] (13-18 years)


• Tip: You can often just type child into the PubMed search bar and then use the "Filters" on the left-hand side to select specific age groups (e.g., "Child: 0-18 years," "Infant: 0-23 months," "Adolescent: 13-18 years"). This is often the easiest way in PubMed.


• Embase (using Emtree):


• Similar to MeSH, Emtree has specific terms like child, infant, adolescent, newborn. You'll typically search for child/exp (to explode the term and include narrower categories).


• Embase also has dedicated age filters in its advanced search interface.


• PsycINFO (using Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms):


• Children


• Infants


• Adolescents


• Preschool Age


• School Age

Most databases have built-in filters usually found on the left-hand sidebar after you perform an initial search.

• PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO: Look for sections like:


• Age


• Patient Age


• Population


• Subjects


• You'll typically see checkboxes or dropdowns for "Child," "Infant," "Adolescent," "Preschooler," "School age," etc.

3. Comprehensive Search Strategy for Pediatric Sleep Interventions

Now let's put it all together into a robust strategy.

A. Core Concepts:

• Population: Pediatric (as discussed above)


• Intervention: Sleep interventions


• Outcome: Sleep (quality, duration, disorders, etc.)

1. Pediatric Population Terms (Use OR to combine these):

• (child OR pediatric OR paediatric OR infant OR neonate OR newborn OR toddler OR adolescent OR teen OR juvenile OR "school age" OR "preschool" OR "young adult*")


• OR "Child"[Mesh] OR "Infant"[Mesh] OR "Adolescent"[Mesh] OR "Child, Preschool"[Mesh] OR "Infant, Newborn"[Mesh] (for PubMed)


• OR child/exp OR infant/exp OR adolescent/exp OR newborn/exp (for Embase)

• (sleep adj3 (intervent OR therap OR treatment OR program OR education OR strateg OR counsel OR support OR method OR skill))


• OR "CBT-I" OR "cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia" OR "behavioral sleep medicine" OR "sleep hygiene" OR "parent training" OR "parent-led intervention" OR "light therapy" OR melatonin OR chronotherapy


• OR "Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders"[Mesh: noexp] (for PubMed - focuses on insomnia)


• OR "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy"[Mesh] (for PubMed)


• OR "Sleep"[Mesh] AND (therapy OR intervention)

• (sleep OR insomnia OR "sleep disorder" OR "sleep quality" OR "sleep duration" OR "sleep latency" OR "sleep pattern" OR "night awakenings" OR parasomnia OR "sleep disturbance")


• OR "Sleep Disorders"[Mesh] (for PubMed)

• (Pediatric Terms):

• AND (Intervention Terms):

• AND (Outcome/Condition Terms - if desired, could be combined with intervention):

Tips for Effective Searching:

• Start Broad, Then Narrow: Begin with a combination of your key terms, and then use the database's filters (like age, publication type, date range) to refine.


• Check Reference Lists: Once you find a few highly relevant pediatric studies or reviews, check their reference lists for other good sources.


• Look for Systematic Reviews: Search for "systematic review" OR "meta-analysis" AND your pediatric and sleep intervention terms. These often provide a great overview and can point you to many primary studies.


• Test and Iterate: Your first search won't be perfect. Review a sample of results, see what terms they use, and adjust your strategy accordingly.


• Consult a Librarian: For complex systematic reviews, a research librarian is an invaluable resource for refining search strategies.