Look through the stages of infant regulation and tell me, which one are you? I’m feeling that deep sleep on a Saturday!
Organized Stages of Regulation
- Calm Alert & Focused: You will see regular breathing, eyes open and alert, and a little one who appears ready for social interaction.
- Fussy & Crying: Eyes may be open or closed. Infant is restless, with irregular breathing. Rhythmic crying is present.
- Drowsy & Active Sleep: Drowsy is a transition stage with between awaken & sleep. Active sleep will have rapid eye movement or a low level of activity.
- Deep sleep: minimal to no movement, relaxed facial expression.
Now, disorganized patterns on the other hand, show when an infant is not ready or overwhelmed.
Disorganized Stages
- Hypoalert: Appears fatigued with little movement.
- Hyperalert: Eyes are intense and hyper-focused, infant may be unable to break away from the distressing stimulus.
- Gaze Averting & Grimace: Generally viewed as a time-out or that the infant needs a break.
- Disorganized crying: Infant is unable to calm, easily triggered by activity, sound, or internal factors. May also appear glassy-eyed.
Building a secure attachment includes attending to and recognizing when they may be distressed. Let me know your thoughts on the stages of infant regulation in the comments below!
Dr. Diamond