INVESTIGATING FACTORS AFFECTING INFANT CRY AND SLEEP ROUTINES FROM BIRTH TO TWELVE MONTHS

Abstract

The studies in this thesis explore both the individual differences and developmental trajectories in infant routines and bridge the disciplines of paediatric and developmental psychology. The different methodological approaches serve to highlight similarities in findings across the studies and clarify those methods which are best suited to this period of rapid development.
This collection of studies first addresses predictors of infant cry, feed and sleep routines generally, examining both the intrinsic and extrinsic factors in the first few weeks of life (Chapter 1). It highlights specifically the effects of maternal parity on infant sleep pattern and the possible differential responding of primiparous and multiparous mothers. As maternal mental health has typically been found to affect infant routines, maternal parity as a potential moderating factor in this relation is then investigated (Chapter 2). To examine the stability and change in routines infants are followed up in the only microgenetic study of its kind (Chapter 3). An online study detailed in Chapter 4 examines the effect of parity on maternal responses to infant crying and the final study (Chapter5) examines the effectiveness of a unique sling specifically designed to aid settling and soothing of distressed infants.
The studies highlight the potential variety of factors influencing infant routines and consequently the need for research in this field to control for confounding factors. It is becomes clear that research into infant routines ought to adopt longitudinal approaches to fully explore developmental changes during the first year postpartum.