Normal early infant behaviour patterns

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
As part of a wider study, infant behaviour was reviewed prospectively, using a 24 h diary completed by the mother. Infants' sleep, awake, fussing, crying and feeding behaviour were recorded at 1,2,4,6 and 8 weeks. Completed records were obtained from 21 infants. As expected most time was spent asleep, with a mean of 16.2 h at 1 week and 15.5 h at 8 weeks. Most sleeping occurred between midnight and 4 a.m. even by week 1 and there was a progressive fall in the average duration of feeding during that time interval over the 8 week period. Fussing and crying were mostly noted between 4 and 8 p.m. with an additional peak between 8 a.m. and noon, the latter disappearing by week 4. There was also a progressive drop in both the average feeding and fussing/crying times by week 8, reflecting increased settled and awake periods. It is against a background of normal early infant behaviour patterns that one can evaluate interventions aimed at altering such behaviour and dealing with the vexed problem of 'colic'.

This publication has 11 references indexed in Scilit: