Knowing your baby's style of reacting to everyday events will help you figure out what works best for your baby.All parents wonder what their baby will be like. What is your baby like? Is he sensitive to wet diapers or doesn’t he seem to mind? Can she sleep pretty much anywhere, or does she do best in her own crib?
Each baby is born with his/her own unique style of behavior or temperament. Since babies don’t come with manuals, parents and babies must learn to figure each other out. Learning your baby’s temperament will help you figure out what works best for your baby.
Your baby’s temperament shows up in how he reacts to his world – for example, how actively baby moves, how regular he is in his hunger and sleep patterns, or how strongly he reacts to being bathed. Baby’s temperament is a combination of seven different traits:
- Sensitivity - how much stimulation (sounds, lights, touch, smell) it takes to get a reaction from baby. Does baby wake up whenever the phone rings?
- Activity level – the amount of movement. Are baby’s arm and legs always waving about?
- Intensity – the strength or loudness of baby’s reaction. When baby is hungry or tired does he cry loudly or just fuss?
- Regularity – how regular baby is in all her biological functions, such as eating and sleeping. Does baby wake up at the same time each morning?
- Adaptability – the ease with which baby adapts to new things and changes of any kind, such as transitions (shifts from one activity to another) or intrusions (like being picked up or getting water in his face).
- Persistence or frustration tolerance – the amount of time you baby will stick with an activity.
- Soothability or distractibility – how easy it is to distract and sooth baby when she is fussing or crying.
Babies’ temperaments are not always clearly visible at birth. However, certain temperament traits you may notice right away, like activity level. Does your baby move around a lot when you change her diaper or does she lie fairly still?
By 4 months of age your baby’s temperament will become clearer. At that time you can find out more about your baby’s temperament by completing a free on-line questionnaire at http://www.preventiveoz.org. When you get to the website click on Image of Your Child. Questionnaires are available for parents of infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
Once you submit the questionnaire you will immediately receive back – a temperament profile that shows your child’s temperament, a forecast of likely-to-occur behaviors that are normal for your child’s temperament, and strategies for handling likely-to-occur behaviors.
Each temperament trait ranges from high to low, and many different combinations of temperament traits are possible. All temperament styles are normal, although some are more challenging for parents to handle.
Parents who get to know and understand their child’s temperament feel better about their child and have an easier time handling behaviors that are challenging, but normal for their child.
Author: Carol Ostergren
