2. Newborn States
● The term states refers to a continuum of alertness ranging from regular
sleep to vigorous activity.
● States are the infants first line of defense.
● By means of changing state, infants can shut out certain stimuli and
thereby inhibit their responses.
● It also through a change in state that infants set the stage for actively
responding.
● Thus, the newborn’s use of various state reflects a high order of nervous
system control.
3. Reflexes
A reflex is a simple, involuntary, and
unlearned response to a stimulus, a response
that is triggered automatically through
built-in circuits.
4. Reflexes
E.g. of Newborn Reflexes:
● Sucking - when a newborn’s mouth or lips are touched, she automatically sucks on
the object in her mouth.
● Tonic neck - when the baby’s head is turned on one side, her arm on that side will
straighten and the other arm will bend as in a fencing position.
● Palmar/Grasping - when an object is placed on the baby’s palm, he will close his
hand around it and grasp it firmly.
● Stepping - when the baby is held upright with the soles of the feet touching a firm
surface, he will deliberately take “steps,” as if walking. This behavior disappears
after the first week then reappears in several months as learned, voluntary
behavior.
5. The major
activity of
newborns.
New borns 6 weeks 1 to 2 years old
16 or more hours
per day in 7 or 8
naps.
2 to 4 hour naps
during the day.
Reduced to one nap
during the day and
an extended sleep
at night.
Sleeping
6. Sleeping
E.g. of Infant States:
● Regular sleep: Infants are at full rest; little or no motor activity occurs; facial muscles are relaxed;
spontaneous eye movement is absent; respirations are regulars and even.
● Irregular sleep: infants engage in spurts of gentle limb movements and more general stirring, squirming, and
twisting; eye movement is occasional and rapid; facial grimaces (smiling, sneering, frowning, puckering, and
pouting) are frequent; the rhythm of respiration is irregular and faster than in regular sleep.
● Drowsiness: infants are relatively inactive; on occasion they squirm and twist their bodies; they open and
close their eyes intermittently; respiratory patterns are regular but faster than in regular sleep.
● Alert inactivity: although infants are inactive, their eyes are open and have a bright, shining quality;
respirations are regular but faster than during regular sleep.
● Walking activity: infants may be silent or moan, grunt, or whimper, spurts of diffuse motor activity are
frequent; their faces may be relaxed or pinched, as when crying; their rate of respiration is irregular.
● Crying: vocalizations are strong and intense; motor activities are vigorous; the babies’ faces are contorted;
their bodies are flushed bright red. In some infants, tears can be observed as early as 24 hours after birth.
7. Sleep
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is one of the leading causes of postneonatal death in the
United States.
● It is when the parents put their seemingly healthy baby down to sleep and return to find that
the infant has died.
● It is most likely to occur between 2 and 4 months of age, although it can happen to a 1 year
old.
● Parents are warned not to place their infant in his or her own uncluttered bed to avoid
accidental suffocation or strangulation in the parental bed.
● The measures suggested to take to prevent SIDS include getting regular prenatal care,
providing good nutrition for the baby, refraining from smoking and using drugs, avoiding teen
pregnancies, and waiting at least a year between births.
● Caregivers should put the infant on its back to sleep, use a firm mattress, with nothing in the
bed, avoid overheating the baby’s room, avoid exposing the baby to tobacco smoke and persons
with respiratory ailments, avoid overdressing the baby, and consider using a baby monitor.
8. Crying
Crying in the newborn is an unlearned, involuntary, highly adaptive response that
incites the parents to caretaking activities.
● The Language of Crying: most parents typically learn the “language” of
crying quickly. Babies have one cry that means hunger, one that means they
are too cold or too warm, one that signals their need for attention, one that
means frustration, and others for problems like pain or illness.
○ Overtime, an infant’s cries become more complex.
○ By the second month, the irregular or fussy cry appear.
○ At about 9 months, the child’s cry becomes less persistent and more
punctuated by pauses, and the older youngster checks how the cry is
affecting a caregiver.
○ If the baby is exposed prenatally to drugs from the mother, they
commonly experience withdrawal symptoms consisting of
irritability and incessant shrill crying (high pitched), inability to
sleep, restlessness, hyperactive reflexes, tremors, and occasionally
convulsions.
9. ShakeN baby syndrome
Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS): occurs when a baby’s head is violently shaken
back and forth or strikes something, resulting bruising or bleeding of the
brain, spinal cord injury, and eye damage. E.g. When parents cannot get the
baby to stop crying, they may feel distraught and act out angrily toward
the baby.
● If a child cries regularly and incessantly, the infant needs to be
examined carefully by a pediatrician to check for colic—a condition
of discomfort, of unknown cause, in which the baby cries for an
hour or more, typically every day at about the same time, for up to
several weeks.
● If they suspect a baby is being shaken or abused, the health care
professionals look for a glassy-eyed look or lethargy (a lack of
energy or enthusiasm). Bruises and vomiting can also be causes.
● Infant less than 6 months are particularly vulnerable to SBS.
● Researchers have found that men are mostly to inflict this injury,
followed by female babysitters, and then the mother.
10. Soothing the infant
● Meeting physical and emotional needs is likely to
soothe a crying baby.
● If a baby is crying because it is hungry or sleepy, it
will most likely soothe itself by sucking its own
fingers.
● When a baby is crying, check to see that the baby is
warm enough, has a clean diaper, isn’t hungry, and
feels comfortable.
● Older infants usually like to have a comfort object,
such as a specific blanket or stuffed animal .
● Most importantly, parents should try to remain calm
around their babies because the infant’s behavior often
mirrors its caretakers behavior.
11. Feeding
First Few weeks
Feed when its internal
state signals that it
needs nutrition.
Newborns
Feed 8 to 14 times
during the day.
SOme
Infants
Feed at short intervals,
perhaps every 90 minutes,
all day.
Other
Infants
Feed at intervals of
3 to 4 hours longer.
Eat 3 to 4 meals a day
by 1 years old.
Older Infants
12. Feeding
On-Demand Feeding Versus Scheduled Feeding: In on-demand feeding, caregivers let the infant pick its own times in
the 24-hour cycle to feed.
● Parents or caregivers should decide whether the baby will be breast-fed or bottle-fed. Caregivers can also
employ a “wet nurse” (a wet nurse is a lactating woman employed to nurse others’ babies).
Breast-Feeding: There is large evidence that breastfeeding the infant for the first several months of life is the best
source of nutrition.
● The beneficial messenger oxytocin is released into the mother’s bloodstream before, during, and after birth.
● The advantages of breastfeeding for the mother and baby:
○ For the first few days, the mother’s milk contains colostrum, a substance that provides antibodies that
build up the newborn’s immune system.
○ Breastfeeding reduces the risk of the infant developing diarrhea, allergies/asthma, ear infections, etc.
○ It is easier to digest breast milk since it’s more watery than formula-based milk.
○ Breastfeeding improves maternal health by reducing postpartum bleeding, lower the risk of
breast/ovarian cancer and helps mothers return to their prepregnancy weight.
13. Feeding
Formula (Bottle-Feeding): There are numerous formulas available, such as dairy-based, lactose-free, soy-based, and
specialized formulas for infants who cannot tolerate other ones.
● Advantage: Gives mother physical freedom and enables fathers and other caregivers to become more involved
in feeding the infant and feeding alternative for mothers who are taking medications.
Additional Cautions Regarding Infant Nutrition: Breastfeeding infants should be monitored regularly by a health-care
professional if the mother is taking medications or drugs. It’s recommended that breast-fed infants be given
supplements, such as vitamin D, iron, and fluoride.
● Mothers should prepare baby formula in boiled water (uncontaminated) because contaminated water can put
the babies health at risk.
Graduating to “Regular” Foods: It’s recommended that breastfeeding should be done for the first 6 months, followed
by the introduction of mashed vegetables before sweet cereals or fruit.
● During the first two years of development, a child will begin to eat “regular” table foods and beverages.
● A balanced diet promotes good health and brain growth.
● Two developmental milestones occur when a child can pick up food using the forefinger and thumb (the pincer
grasp) and hold a cup and drink from it without help.
● Infants should be introduced to a variety of tastes and textures in their diet.
14. Mastering Toilet Training
● Toilet Training is an important developmental
milestone because many children are eventually
taken into public settings, such as preschool.
● By about 1 and a half to 2 years of age, most young
children show an interest in toilet training.
● When the developing muscles in the toddler’s anal
and urinary tract are strong enough, the child will
let a caretaker know that they are ready to be toilet
trained.
● No infant should be forced to stay on the toilet for
long periods of time. Freud said in his
psychoanalytic theory that attitudes toward one’s
sexuality form during toilet-training times, and
shaming a child for something that’s out of their
control can do harm.
15. Infant Checkups and
Immunizations
● Infants should have regular medical checkups for
proper medical care and immunizations.
● All children must get several shots before
entering child care, preschool, or public and
private school settings.
● Vaccinations provide immunity to a disease
before it has a chance to make the child sick.
● Some parents opposed vaccinating babies
because of concerns of preservatives used in
vaccines, religious restrictions, or distrust of
pharmaceutical companies.
16. Questions
Newborn States
1 2 3
What is an example
of newborn
reflexes?
What is an example
of newborn states?
What does SBS
stand for?
