How to Recognize Alert States of a Newborn

To a casual observer, a newborn may seem to be a tiny being with little going on other than eating and sleeping. If you pay attention to your new baby, however, you will discern a variety of states of consciousness, ranging from alert to sleeping deeply. If you watch for your baby̵7;s alert states, you have an opportunity to interact with him and bond with him.

Instructions

    • 1

      Observe your baby when her eyes are open and she̵7;s awake to determine her alert state. The American Academy of Pediatrics has defined six states of newborn consciousness -- deep sleep, light sleep, drowsy, quiet alert, active alert and crying, listed at HealthyChildren.org. Of the four awake states, two qualify as alert -- quiet alert and active alert states. When your little one starts to drift off into sleep she's in the drowsy state and when your baby exhibits varying degrees of fussiness, she's in the fussy state.

    • 2

      Note behaviors to determine whether your baby is in a quiet alert state. During this state, your little one will sit or lay quietly without moving. He will watch people or objects with concentration, states Barbara A. Hotelling, a Lamaze-certified childbirth educator, and author of ̶0;Newborn Capabilities: Parent Teaching Is a Necessity,̶1; published in the "Journal of Perinatal Education." If you draw your infant̵7;s attention to a brightly colored rattle and hold it between eight and 12 inches away from him, he will likely track it as you move and shake it. If you shake a noisy toy about nine inches away from your little one̵7;s ear but out of his sight, he will likely turn toward the sound.

    • 3

      Recognize the behaviors that indicate that your baby is moving from the quiet alert state to the active alert state. The main indication of this transition is movement ̵1; your little one will begin waving her arms and kicking her legs. She will likely vary her eye movements and she could make vocal noises. You may prolong your baby̵7;s peaceful mood by talking to her or showing her engaging toys or objects to watch, which might encourage her to go back to the quiet alert state, according to the AAP.

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      Discern your little one̵7;s impending movement from the active alert state to the crying state when his movements become more jerky and mild fussing begins. At this time, he may also avoid eye contact with you, as he begins to feel unhappy, disorganized and overwhelmed, states research psychologist Dr. Joanna Hawthorne, with the Brazelton Centre, a UK-based charity devoted to understanding infant development. If you shake a rattle at this time, it will probably only serve to overwhelm him more. Typically, at this point, a newborn will enter the crying state with full-on fussing and crying.

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