Infant State

In my house we are counting down until the arrival of child #2 (3 weeks to go). As our bun gets the last of his golden brown crust, we are looking ahead to the whirlwind of the first months of life and all that they entail. One of the most challenging things about caring for a new baby--other than physical exhaustion--is trying to understand what they want and need. In 1973, Dr. T Berry Brazelton identified what are now called the Brazelton states. These are states, ranging from sleeping to awake and alert to crying and agitated, that a baby naturally moves through throughout the day. The state when a baby is awake and alert is the best time for interaction and for learning.

Babies also give nonverbal cues regarding what they're feeling and what they need. Things like yawning, extending the arm and splaying the fingers ("talk to the hand"), furrowing the brow, and hiccoughing are all signs of stress or discomfort. Responding to such cues takes some intuition: are the lights too bright, does the baby need to be swaddled? But ultimately, learning what a baby's cues mean can help everyone in the family return to calmer, more contented states.

Here is a short quiz (ungraded ;) about infant cues:

1. Your baby is opening his eyes very, very wide. Is he:

a) calm and happy

b) interested

c) stressed

2. Your baby is putting her hand in her mouth and sucking on anything in sight. Is she:

a) craving a cigarette

b) hungry

c) trying to calm herself

3. Your baby looks away every time grandma gets close to her. Your baby:

a) is an introvert

b) doesn't like grandma

c) is scared of those big eyes

Answer key:

1c, 2b or c, 3c. 1. Wide eye opening (like you just saw a UFO) is an infant stress sign. It's an indication that something in the environment is overwhelming your baby and needs to be turned down a notch, before baby ramps things up to "crying and agitated." 2. Hand to mouth is one of a baby's primary strategies for self-soothing (part of why pacifiers are so dang popular with the onesie crowd). But, putting things in the mouth, and mouthing random objects is also a clue that your baby might be hungry. My advice? Get that boob or bottle ready before your baby gets hangry. 3. If you think about it, the sight of a giant head the size of your entire body, complete with massive blinking eyes, is pretty terrifying. Often babies will investigate faces when said owner of that face gives them a break in eye contact and looks away. Suggest to grandma that she back up a bit and even look away from the baby for a few seconds. This will allow the baby to scan grandma's face in a way that is less intimidating and, hopefully, will encourage bonding between your newborn and your new best babysitter.