cktimes.ca Archives: Born to Communicate
Originally posted on: Tuesday, August 17, 2010I need a break…..I’m hungry……I need to be held…. I need to sleep. Young children are usually able to tell the parent what they need, but is it possible for babies to tell their parent what they need? Well, yes it is!
Babies are able to use cues, or non-verbal language, that tell a parent what they need and how they are feeling. It is amazing how even very young babies can give clear signals that they want to interact, need a break from play or are tired or hungry.
Responding to a baby’s cues helps a baby develop a sense of trust and helps form a secure attachment to the parent. This is an important building block for a child’s future emotional and social development. Recognizing and understanding a baby’s unique language helps a baby feel more content and makes a parent’s job easier.
Babies will give cues that they are hungry long before they begin to cry. Crying is usually the last sign of hunger and waiting for a baby to cry before feeding makes the parent’s job more difficult. Signs your baby is ready to feed include: rooting with their mouth, sucking on their fist, hand to mouth movements, small sounds and sucking movements of the mouth and tongue. Looking for these cues works better than waiting a set number of hours before feeding your baby. As adults, we do not watch the clock to tell us when we need to eat or drink; we eat and drink when we are hungry or thirsty.
No one likes to be kept awake when all we really want to do is sleep. It is best to allow a baby to sleep when they show signs that they are sleepy. They may become quiet, lose interest in interacting with people or toys, make jerky movements or become very still, yawn, frown, clench their fists, rub their eyes and ears and fuss. Babies become grumpy and difficult to settle if these cues are missed.
All of us need time away from being busy. Babies also need breaks from what they are doing. Babies will give cues such as looking away, turning their head away, squirming or kicking, coughing, spitting up or arching their back. If a parent keeps trying to play with their baby when the baby is not interested, the baby may become agitated or start fussing and crying.
Another way to ease your job as a parent is to recognize that babies have different levels of sleep and wake periods that are called “states of alertness”. Learning to recognize a baby’s different levels of sleep and wake patterns tell a parent the best time to play, feed, or let their baby sleep.
States of alertness include quiet sleep, active sleep, drowsy, quiet alert, active alert and crying. During quiet sleep, baby is very hard to wake up, so this is not a good time to wake to feed or play. In active sleep, baby makes more movements during sleep and tends to wake up during this state. During the drowsy state, baby may open and close eyes and may stay asleep or wake up. When in the quiet alert state, baby’s eyes are open and baby is able to focus on the parent’s face, voice or objects and is ready to be with the parent. In active alert, the baby makes lots of body movements and may fuss. Baby will be sensitive to noise, hunger, and may need a break from activity. The final state is crying. Baby will cry and have a lot of body movement. Crying tells the parent that baby has had enough and needs to be soothed.
It takes time to recognize your baby’s states of alertness and cues. When you learn your baby’s special language, it makes your job as a parent easier. You will be able to enjoy your baby and have fun.
For further information on baby language, contact the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit at 519-352-7270.
