How Adults Can Help Baby’s Development
Newborns also exhibit many reflex responses to external stimulation and these patterns and reflexes help the baby to manage their energy resources as well as their responses to what is around them.
Just after birth, there is often a short spell where the baby is attentive, looking at and responding to
people.
Sleep patterns of a newborn vary. Research has identified six different states of infant awareness:
- Quiet or deep sleep: Baby will have eyes closed with no eye movements and no activity apart from occasional jerky movements; regular breathing.
- Active or light sleep: Baby’s eyes are closed but rapid eye movements can be observed; breathing may be irregular, activity level is low.
- Drowsiness: Baby’s eyes may open and close but appear dull when open; there is delayed response to stimulation and activity level varies.
- Alert inactivity: Baby’s eyes are open and bright; his/her attention will focus on outside stimuli such as a ceiling light or something bright.
- Alert activity: Baby’s eyes are open; activity level is high. Baby will react to stimulation and show increased startles and motor activity.
- Crying: Intense crying that is hard to stop; high levels of motor activity.
A newborn will exhibit several reflexive responses. Some will last for life. The presence or absence of reflexes and their developmental course will give information about the baby’s neural responses. For instance when the doctor runs a thumb along the left side of baby’s spinal column, the baby should reflexively bent to the left. If this reflex occurs on one side but not the other it is possible the nerves are damaged on the side that shows no reflexive reaction.
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