Understanding Your Baby Infant Behavior - USDA

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Understanding Your BabyInfant Behavior

Understanding Your BabyInside this issue:“I’m Hungry!”Infant Behavior Moms and babies learn to communicate with each other. At first, it may be hard to understand whatyour baby is trying to tell you. But it doesn’ttake long for you and your baby to developyour own special language. Babies actually have ways other than crying totell parents what they need. Babies use theirbodies and noises to tell us what they need –We call these ‘cues.’2“I Will Wake Up if 2I Need Your Help.”Sleep Like a BabyWhy BabiesWake Up33A True SleepStory4-6Tips for TiredParents7 At first, babies can’t tell us very much. They can just tell usif they are comfortable and want to be near us or playwith us. Or if they are uncomfortable and needsomething to be different. Here is an example of each:“I want to be near you”Baby has a relaxed, smiling face,and is looking at you with wideopen eyes.“I need a break orsomething different”Baby has stiff fingers and bodyand is arching his back andpushing away.“You canpreventme fromcrying ifyou listento mycues!”

“I’m Hungry!”Hungry babies will do many things to tell you they are hungry. Sometimesthey cry, but not always. If babies are crying, but not doing all of the otherthings that mean they are hungry, you should probably look for somethingelse to make the baby feel more comfortable. Bring their hands to their face Root Clench their hands Make sucking motions &noises Flex their arms & legsBabies cry for many reasons other than hunger. They could be: Too hot or cold Lonely or tired Upset by too much noise or too bright of lights Uncomfortable with a wet or dirty diaper, clothes too tight, etc.Crying won’t always mean your baby is hungry. Babiesare hard to understand at first, but it gets easier!When babiesare hungrythey: Bring theirhands totheirmouths Suck onthings Make tightfists overtheirtummies Are awakeand alert“I Will Wake Up if I Need Your Help.”It can also be hard to understand why babies wake up alot. Your baby’s sleep patterns (sleeping or waking up) area behavior (one of the waysthey react to what’s goingon around them). Let’s talka little more about howinfants sleep and why itcan be hard on newparents.Page 3Understanding Your Baby

Sleep Like a BabyBabies will wake up at night and try to tell parents that they need something.That can be hard on parents. But it only lasts a short time! By about 4 monthsold, your baby will wake up a lot less.From what you’ve heard or seen, how many times would youguess that your newborn baby will wake up at night during thefirst month? How about by 2 months old? Or 6 months old?There are a lot of ideas about how many times babies wake up atnight. Every baby is different but research shows that most babieswake up:3-4 times per night by 1 month old2-3 times per night by 2 months old0-1 time per night by 6 months oldSo, yes, babies do wake up at night, but maybe not as much as moms might think.It might feel like your baby wakes up a lot more than this, especially when you aretired and waking up in the middle of the night. If your baby wakes up a lot morethan this on a regular basis, talk to someone at WIC. We are here to help!Why Babies Wake-upParents might think that babies wake up only if they are hungry.Sometimes, they do wake up to eat but there are many reasons whybabies wake up. Babies need to wake up sometimes because theyare hot or cold, are uncomfortable, or even because they need tobreathe. In other words, your baby will wake up because he needsyou!Page 4

A True Sleepy StoryTired Signs:YawningGetting fussyEyes tiredEyes glazedOnce upon a time in a city not far fromhere a new mom and her 2-month-old babyare settling down for bed.This all started about 15 minutes ago whenJennifer (a new mom) notices Lily (her 2month-old baby) yawning and getting fussy.Her eyes were tired and glazed.Jennifer says: “Uh oh! You are sure showingme signs that you are tired. Let’s get readyfor bed.”How did she know Lily was tired? Jenniferlearned these “tired signs” from a WICclass she went to during her pregnancy.So, she changes Lily into her pajamas, changesher diaper, gets her all comfortable and putsLily down to sleep.Jennifer learned early that she can’t just putLily down right after she falls asleep. She has towait about 20 minutes and look for signs ofQuiet or Deep sleep before putting Lily down.If she doesn’t, Lily could wake up again as soonas she puts her down. Jennifer knows thisbecause she’s had many times where she put Lilydown sooner because she herself was so tiredonly to have Lily wake right up when her littlebody touched the bed.Then, already worn-out Jennifer would have tostart the whole bedtime process over again.Talk about frustrating!Page 5

As Lilygetsolder, shewill wakeup lessand less.So Jennifer waits about 20 minutes and tests Lily forsigns of deep sleep. These signs are: little or no bodymovement, hard to wake, sucking movements with mouth,and limp arms and legs.Lily has most of these signs so her mom lays her down inher bed. Luckily, as Lily gets older, bedtime will be mucheasier. Jennifer will not have to wait as long to put Lilydown to sleep. She will fall asleep more easily and quickly!Lily sleeps very deeply for awhile. Then her eyes startfluttering and she smiles a sweet little smile. Lily is nowin a light sleep called Active sleep, where she dreams.Jennifer knows dreaming is healthy. Lily’s brain isgrowing and developing as she dreams.When babies are in active sleep, they also wake up moreeasily. Lily notices that her diaper is very wet and isbothering her. Jennifer hears Lily stir and quickly checkson her.“Hi my little angel, what’s wrong?” she asks. So many things tocheck: Is Lily cold or hot? Hungry or lonely? Is her diaper wet?“Oh wow, your diaper is very wet. Sorry sweet baby!” Jenniferquickly changes Lily’s diaper so as not to completely wake her up.She puts Lily back to sleep, rocking her about 20 minutes to makesure she is in quiet or deep sleep before putting her down.Mom and baby sleep well (deeply and quietly) for awhile.Then, as Lily enters another phase of active or light sleep,she awakens quickly. She wakes up because her nose isstuffy and she is having a hard time breathing.Jennifer hears her baby waking, but is so tired that she waits abit, but then Lily starts to cry Page 6Understanding Your Baby

Luckily, Lilywoke up to lether mom knowsomethingwas wrong!So Jennifer goes to her baby. While soothingher, she notices that she is having a hard timebreathing through her nose. She takes care ofthis and then Lily goes back to sleep. Luckily,Lily woke up to let her mom know something waswrong! Otherwise, how would she have known?The night continues with Lily waking up for afeeding when she is hungry and then going backto sleep.Jennifer has learned that it’s normal for babiesthis age to wake up 2-3 times per night. So, she’snot surprised when Lily wakes up later that night.Jennifer is also comforted by the fact that this waking does not lastforever!! As Lily gets older, she will wake up less and less during thenight.It is a long night for both mom and baby, but both wake up healthyand happy. And Jennifer swears that Lily looks like she’s grown a fewinches during the night. With all of the dreaming and waking she didlast night, she must be a genius by now!Lily is growing so fast. Soon she will be sitting up and rolling over. Shewill be sleeping longer stretches (this makes mom very happy becauseshe is tired!). Soon Lily will not need her mom as much duringthe night to help her get back to sleep.Jennifer is excited that Lily will soon sleep much better, butshe is also sad. Her baby is growing up so quickly. Part of herwill miss those quiet moments, in the middle of the night,when they are all alone together, snuggling in the moonlight.Page 7

Tips and Facts for Tired Parents Wait 20 minutes beforeputting baby down after shefalls asleep, OR Put baby down to sleep whenhe is drowsy.Make your sleep a priority.The dishes can wait forawhile!You will need extra rest toheal from childbirth.Sleep when your babysleeps. Accept helpwith housework or baby care fromfamily and friends so youcan rest.Baby’s first 6 weeks arethe hardest for parents.Then it gets easier!There is hope: Babieswake up less and lessduring the night as theyget older.WIC is here to help you better understandyour baby. Just ask us!Page 8Created by the UC Davis Human Lactation Center as part of the FitWIC Baby Behavior Study.This project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foodand Nutrition Service. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of the U.S.Department of Agriculture, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

tired and waking up in the middle of the night. If your baby wakes up a lot more than this on a regular basis, talk to someone at WIC. We are here to help! Sleep Like a Baby Page 4 Why Babies Wake-up 3-4 times per night by 1 month old 2-3 times per night by

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