How to Calm and Comfort Children (0 - 2)

0 to 2 "WHAAAAA!!!" by Alice Sterling Honig, Ph.D.

Helping babies feel comfortable and calm is very important to infant/toddler teachers. Babies can sometimes cry or thrash about frantically. What's going on? How can caregivers help them feel soothed and relaxed?

States of Being

It's important to remember that infants live each day through a series of "states" or levels of arousal. On a typical day, a baby may move into and out of six different levels of arousal. Every adult has been faced with the dilemma of trying to interpret and soothe the crying state. A little baby is irritably snuffling because it may be hard to settle into sleep. Or, a baby is wracked by loud, yowling sobs, whether from a hungry tummy, too much stimulation, or a gas bubble. Babies differ in the amount of crying they do. 

1) The Sleepy State

The drowsy state often looks somewhat comical. A baby's eyes are half closed. He looks as if he is nodding off and is unable to focus on anyone or anything. A baby with this droopy look signals that he needs some sleep rime. This is not a state where a baby can be attentive to a new storybook or an interesting toy you want her to look at. Some babies do not go into this drowsy state. They simply drop off to sleep.

2) Deep sleep

Deep sleep is the calmest state. Newborns sometimes spend the majority of their time (16 to 18 hours) each day sleeping. Infants exhibit a more restless state, called REM sleep, often when they are about to wake up. Their limbs twitch, and they move restlessly in the crib. You may even notice rapid eye movements under their closed eyelids. Mysteriously, babies in the first couple of months spend half their sleeping hours in this more restless state of REM sleep.

2) The Calm/Alert State

When awake, well fed, and well rested, babies are in a calm/alert state. This attentive state is the optimal state for play. Take advantage of this state of alert inactivity to introduce appropriate little games. This state is best for ensuring a playtime that will not overload a baby's developing neurological system. To encourage early vocalizations back and forth, watch for this state. This is the best time to engage in "cooing turns." This is also a good time to shake a rattle and slowly move it across his field of vision to see whether he is able to use his eyes to follow it smoothly.

3) The Alert/Active State

In the alert/active state, babies' eyes are open, but their breathing is irregular and they may act fussy. They are awake, but move their limbs a lot. This is not a good time for intimate teaching interactions.

Notice how individual babies are. Some may be in the alert attentive state for many hours per day. Another baby is rarely in that state. Your keen observation skills will help you find just the right times for one-on-one playful interactions with babies.