2. Infant and Toddler Crying: To Soothe or Not to Soothe?
Josh Thompson
Lydia Leeds
Mini-course on the nature of crying, its purpose anthropologically, observation and assessment of crying as an indicator or a child’s development and emotional well-being. A discussion of the value of providing self-soothing strategies to children and additional caregiver coping strategies for excessive criers will also be provided.

3. Texas Association for the Education of Young Children Annual Conference October 9, 2004

4. A survey of knowledge about Infant & Toddler Crying
1. At what age does crying peak?
4 weeks
6 weeks
16 weeks
24 weeks
Purpose: Participation
Collect random samples from center aisle (color coded)
Best answer: B. 6 weeks 

5. A survey of knowledge about Infant & Toddler Crying
2. How much time per day does the normal 3 month old spend crying?
15 minutes
30 minutes
one hour
three hours
Purpose: Participation
Collect random samples from center aisle (color coded)
Best answer: D. three hours

6. A survey of knowledge about Infant & Toddler Crying
3. At what time of day do infants cry the most?
morning (6am – 12pm)
afternoon (12pm – 6pm)
evening (6pm-12am)
late night (12am-6am)
Purpose: Participation
Collect random samples from center aisle (color coded)
Best answer: C. evening

7. A survey of knowledge about Infant & Toddler Crying
4. At what age is crying related to language development?
15 months
18 months
24 months
36 months
Purpose: Participation
Collect random samples from center aisle (color coded)
Best answer: B. 18 months

8. A survey of knowledge about Infant & Toddler Crying
5. Choose the best phrase to complete this sentence: “Picking up a three-month-old every time she cries …
… is likely to spoil a child.”
… teaches the child to be demanding.”
… reduces frequency of crying.”
… teaches the child to trust.”
Purpose: Participation
Collect random samples from center aisle (color coded)
Best answer: D. teaches the child to trust

9. 1. At what age does crying peak?
B. 6 weeks
2. How much time per day does the normal 3 month old spend crying?
C. One hour
3. At what time of day do infants cry the most?
C. evening (6pm-12am)
4. At what age is crying related to language development?
B. 18 months
5. Rate the following behavior "Picking up a three-month-old every time she cries“
D. teaches the child to trust
Purpose: Participation
Collect random samples from center aisle (color coded)
Best answers:
B. 6 weeks
D. three hours
C. evening (6pm-12am)
B. 18 months
D. teaches the child to trust  

10. The Normal Crying Curve

11. The Nature of Crying
“[N]eonatal crying is a species-specific behavior which achieves its likely evolutionary function (infant survival) by reliably eliciting responses from caregivers.” (Gustafson 1990 p.45)
Neonatal crying, species-specific
Function: survival
Reliably eliciting responses from caregivers (Gustafsson (1990) p 45)
Cry definition: sign, symptom, signal
Sign: neurological organization
Normal
Natural
Cyclical patterns
Symptom of dis-equilibrium (Brazelton, 1985, see Solter, 1995, p31
Signal: evokes response
o       Pain
o       Hunger
o       Colic
o       Discomfort
o       Boredom
o       Stress reducing
Variance
o     Colic
o     Trauma
o     Disability

12. The Nature of Crying
Three primary functions:
Sign
Symptom
Signal

13. The Nature of Crying Sign Neurological organization Normal Natural
Cyclical patterns
Insert picture of grimace

14. The Nature of Crying Symptom
of disequilibrium
of state of being
This shift is common, predictable, and independent of caretaker.

17. The Nature of Crying
“Temperament is innate: It’s not a product of the environment, your responses, nor of your child’s attempts to elicit some response from you.” (McKay (1996) When Anger Hurts Your Kids p. 38)

18. The Nature of Crying colic hunger pain discomfort boredom distress
Crying is a Signal that something is not okay
pain
discomfort
boredom
distress

19. Back to the Curve

20. Colic – Rule of 3 Off the curve
A three month old infant “… who, otherwise healthy and well-fed, had paroxysms of irritability, fussing, or crying for a total of three hours a day and occurring on more than three days in any one week” (Wessel, et al, 1950) for more than three weeks.

21. Off the curve
Trauma – physical or emotional, which has resulted in prolonged disequilibrium

22. Off the curve
Disability – neurological disruptions, chronic pain, or genetic abnormalities

23. Observation & Assessment
Observer/participant
Become fluent in the “language” of crying
Competent secure care
Observer/participant
Sign – note: Caregiver responses to evening fussiness cannot change frequency, but can affect duration (Barr, 1990, p 355)
Symptom – read, interpret, understand
Signals evoke response
o       Note time, age, freq, duration, rhythm, pitch, tone, intensity
o       Pain
o       Hunger
o       Colic
o       Discomfort
o       Boredom
o       Stress reducing
Achieving equilibrium
Assisted
Unassisted
Practice id
Prone: face in, face out, football. Sitting:
·        Infant massage
·        Caregiver self check: Averse reaction (Frodi & Senchak, 1990, p 77)
·        Competent secure care – walk away
·        Equipping parents w/ confidence

24. Observation & Assessment
Sign – note: it’s a good thing
Neurological organization

25. Observation & Assessment
Symptom – not personal, it just is, a state of being
Disequilibrium

26. Observation & Assessment
colic
hunger
Crying is a Signal that something is not okay
pain
discomfort
boredom
PAIN – short, loudly piercing wail, high pitched, short apnea
HUNGER – short, continuous bursts, insistent, medium pitch
COLIC
DISCOMFORT - intermittent
BOREDOM – whimper in bursts
DISTRESS
distress

27. Observation FATT DRIP Frequency Duration Age of the child Rhythm
Time of day
Intensity
Tone
Pitch
The FREQUENCY The DURATION
The AGE of the child The RHYTHM
The TIME of day The INTENSITY
The TONE The PITCH

28. Goodness of fit

29. Soothing strategies
Assisted self-soothing
Caregiver assisted soothing
Unassisted self-soothing

30. Assisted Self-soothing
Soothing strategies
Assisted Self-soothing
Pacifiers
Swing
Blankets
Music
Teddy bears

31. Soothing strategies Caregiver Assisted soothing
Holding
Swaddling
Infant massage
Singing (to)
Swaddling: -215 to -140

32. Unassisted self-soothing
Soothing strategies
Unassisted self-soothing
Thumb-sucking
Rocking
Self-stroking
Humming

33. Toddler Strategies Describe Distract Disengage
Zach at 2 ½: -601 to 554

34. Caregiver coping strategies (Brazelton, 2003, pp 19-20)
ID the cry
Try the obvious
Speak softly, bring the pitch and volume down
Hold his arms and body to avoid startles
Swaddle him
Try to identify the kind of cry and what the baby’s other behaviors are telling you. Use other clues – for example, time of last feeding, last nap, last diaper change, baby’s reactions to sounds, light, air temperature, activity, and movement.
Change him. Try feeding him. If it is soon after a nursing or a bottle, he probably won’t need to be fed again. Still, sucking is a powerful soother. Help him find his fist or thumb. Or let him suck on your finger or sugar water.
Speak softly and comfortingly until you break through the crying, then try to bring the pitch and volume of his crying down by slowly lowering your own voice.
Hold his arms and body to avoid startles.
Swaddle him with his baby blanket, so that his legs and arms are firmly contained. Be sure to place him on his back, and near you, so that you can be sure that he does not snuggle down inside his blanket, where he could possibly suffocate.

35. Caregiver coping strategies (Brazelton, 2003, pp 19-20)
Pick him up to cuddle
Try massaging his back and limbs gently
Sing to him
Walk with him
Use white noise or motion
Use a “football hold.”
Pick him up to cuddle.
Try massaging his back and limbs gently.
Sing to him.
Walk with him. Even rock him up and down, or gently swing him.
Use white noise or motion. Parents tell me they set their infant on a washing machine, or use a “white noise” machine to soothe him. Some take the baby for a ride in the car. While this may work, crying is likely to start again when the repetitive stimulation stops. It creates a kid of shutting out in small babies that we call “habituation”: An infant quiets, even puts himself to sleep, but only to avoid all the commotion. It is likely to work only as long as the repetitious stimulation persists. When the crying starts again, it is usually due to whatever set it off in the first place.
Another way to quiet a fussy, unsettled baby is what I call a “football hold.” Placing the baby across your forearm on his belly, chest in your hand, legs and arms dangling, your other hand securely on his back, you can gently rock the baby up and down. When he begins to quiet, he’ll lift his head and look around. Sing to him and croon comfortingly. As he slows to quiet, use his interest in the world to maintain his quiet alertness. Watch his eyes open wide. Many babies quiet, often because it is more difficult when they are on their bellies to take the deep breaths that are necessary to crying. But the rhythmic rocking and the interesting sights and sounds also help him to maintain his control. This method can offer a short break for desperate parents.

36. Caregiver coping strategies
Caregiver self check:
Excessive exposure to crying may tip the motivation from a concern with the infant’s distress to a desire to alleviate your own discomfort in listening to the cry.

37. Caregiver coping strategies
Competent secure care – walk away

38. Questions & MORE Questions
When is it appropriate to soothe a crying child?
When do we let them cry it out?
Ending: Zach -135 to 00:01

39. Associate Professor Early Childhood Ed Texas A&M University-Commerce
Lydia Leeds MA
Josh Thompson PhD
Associate Professor Early Childhood Ed
Texas A&M University-Commerce 
Invite, explain, set expectations
jt – parent of 4, ap TAMU-C in ECE, child language researcher
LL – parent of 4, professional parent educator, ??