What Can My Baby Really Do?

Your newborn baby is equipped with a magnificent map of behaviors. He has all the skills needed to begin to discover and understand his new world. Your observation and understanding of these behaviors will enhance your enjoyment of these first few weeks. Understanding these behaviors will start you on the journey of a loving relationship with your baby.

CRYING--SLEEPING--AWAKE: ALERTNESS CYCLE

Newborns seem to drift in and out of sleep with no order or sense to their daily pattern. Actually, there is a cycle of behavior in which your baby may exhibit six different states of consciousness: deep sleep, light sleep, drowsiness or transition, wide-awake alert, fussy or active alert and crying. By watching for your baby's particular cycle you can predict his behavior and know whether he will be ready for feeding, sleeping, or play. Understanding this can help you plan your day.

DEEP SLEEP

Face relaxed and eyelids closed and still
No body movements
Breathing is very regular
Body in curled-up position
Unreachable by outside stimuli
Half of baby's sleep is in this state
Deep sleep and light sleep are alternated every 30-45 min.

LIGHT SLEEP

Eyes usually closed, but will flutter
Can see eyes move under lids
Occasional body movements
Breathing is irregular
Often makes funny faces (grimace, smile, frown). May make chewing or sucking movements More vulnerable to the outside world. May be roused to awaken sleepily and fussily or struggle to sink into deep sleep

DROWSINESS OR TRANSITION

Usually occurs just before or after sleep. May continue to move
Sometimes smiling, frowning or pursing lips
Eyes have a dull glazed appearance
Eyes do not focus
Eyelids are droopy
Just before closing, eyes may roll upward

WIDE-AWAKE ALERT

Eyes are open wide, bright and shiny
State in which a newborn may have a prolonged period right after birth
Will look at mother's or father's face and eyes
Very little motor activity
All energy seems to be used for seeing and hearing
Best time to interact and play with baby
Your baby is most ready for your attention during this state.
His signals will tell you when he is ready for play and when he has had enough. During these wide-awake alert moments, he will go through four stages:
becomes alert
increases attention
a gradual decrease in interest
turns away and eventually cries
Anytime your baby has had enough of an activity or play, he will turn away from the activity. He is letting you know that his it system is overloaded" for the moment and needs time to regroup or move to a different activity.

FUSSY OR ACTIVE ALERT

Frequent jerky movements every one-two minutes
Looks all around
May make small sounds
Usually appears before eating or when baby is fussy
Breathing is irregular
Unable to control himself

CRYING

Infants' communication--different cries for different needs
Eyes may be open or tightly closed
Face contorted and red
Arms and legs move vigorously
May change into wide-awake alert state by changing position