The unsettled baby: how complexity science helps

Behavioral Sleep Interventions in the First Six Months of Life Do not Improve Outcomes for Mothers or Infants

“…6,[53][54][55][56][57] Many studies also fail to control for the effects of method of infant feeding. 6,[53][54][55][56][57] Many studies also fail to control for the effects of method of infant feeding.…”

“…[2][3][4] Parents are more likely to report that their baby has cryfuss problems in the first 3 months and sleep problems after 3 months of age, and infants with problem crying and fussing in the first 3 months of life do not wake more than other babies on average. 6 Although unsettled babies may not wake more often at night, they may cry and be difficult to settle for longer periods in the night, and infants with feeding problems often wake excessively, both day and night. 6 Although unsettled babies may not wake more often at night, they may cry and be difficult to settle for longer periods in the night, and infants with feeding problems often wake excessively, both day and night.…”

“…7 From about 4 months of age, sleep is consolidated in the nighttime, although normal babies still wake up to 3 times nightly, and waking is consolidated in the daytime, except for 1 to 4 brief daytime naps. 6,12 A significant role for the relative neurodevelopmental maturity of any individual is suggested by the finding that high levels of quiet sleep at birth predict more self-settling in later infancy. 10,11 Although underlying biological processes are dominant, maternal-infant sleep is most appropriately conceptualized as a complex adaptive system, in which there is a dynamic and co-evolving interplay between cultural, psychosocial, temperamental, environmental, and biological factors.…”

A neurobiological model for cry-fuss problems in the first three to four months of life

“…When maternal-infant neurohormonal and neurobehavioural synchronies are disrupted, there is an unpredictable amplification of effects, and cry-fuss problems are more likely to emerge [4]. Disruption may prove more problematic in less neurodevelopmentally mature babies or in mother-baby pairs predisposed by prenatal stress, birth complications, and genetic or psychosocial or other factors [2,3,5,6].…”

“…One in five new parents report that their baby has problem crying [1]. Infant cryfuss behaviour is a complex problem, emerging out of multiple dynamically interacting and co-evolving factors, including genetics, temperament, an individual baby's unique level of neurodevelopmental maturity, maternal prenatal stress and self-efficacy, birth complications, and parental psychosocial disadvantage [2][3][4][5][6]. Cryfuss problems comprise a spectrum of neurobehaviour, from grizzling and fussing to bouts of prolonged and unsoothable crying.…”