This study investigated the effects of infant and maternal sensory processing on sleep, fussing, and crying in a sample of 55 firstborn, 4- to 7-month-old infants and their mothers. Mothers completed self-report questionnaires to assess maternal and infant sensory processing styles and a 4-day diary of infant behavior, including sleep, fussing, and crying. Higher levels of infant Sensation Avoi...

Investigations of the development of infant sleep patterns often rely on maternal reports concerning the frequency and pattern of infant night wakings as an indicator of the underlying quality and organization of infant sleep (1-7). These studies suggest that infants usually arouse one or more times for varying periods of time each night. During the first few months of life 95% of infants signa...

OBJECTIVE To investigate early predictors of sleep patterns in pre-school age children. Specifically, we were interested in exploring whether infant sleep patterns and parenting factors assessed at 12 months would predict sleep in four year-old children. METHODS This was a follow-up study of a home-based longitudinal study, exploring the links between parental cognitions and children's sleep....

We evaluated a comprehensive hospital-based infant safe sleep education program on parental education and safe sleep behaviors in the home using a cross-sectional survey of new parents at hospital discharge (HD) and 4-month follow-up (F/U). Knowledge and practices of infant safe sleep were compared to the National Infant Sleep Position Study benchmark. There were 1092 HD and 490 F/U surveys. Su...

OBJECTIVES To investigate whether sleep disturbances previously found to characterise high risk infants: (a) persist into childhood; (b) are influenced by early maternal settling strategies and (c) predict cognitive and emotional/behavioural functioning. METHODS Mothers experiencing high and low levels of psychosocial adversity (risk) were recruited antenatally and longitudinally assessed wit...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate a prevention program for infant sleep and cry problems and postnatal depression. METHODS Randomized controlled trial with 781 infants born at 32 weeks or later in 42 well-child centers, Melbourne, Australia. Follow-up occurred at infant age 4 and 6 months. The intervention including supplying information about normal infant sleep and cry patterns, settling techniques, me...

Sleep is a basic behavior in humans. There are some research reports on the cyclical patterns of different types of sleep and their relationship to breathing, heart rate, brain waves, and other physical function. More recently, scientific research has begun to show how music therapy interacts with relaxation and sleep cycle. This research is focusing on the following hypotheses: 1. Music could ...

Twenty years ago a new area of inquiry was launched when anthropologists proposed that an evolutionary perspective on infancy could contribute to our understanding of unexplained infant deaths. Here we review two decades of research examining parent-infant sleep practices and the variability of maternal and infant sleep physiology and behavior in social and solitary sleeping environments. The r...

BACKGROUND Infant behavioral sleep problems are common, with potential negative consequences. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess effects of a sleep intervention comprising a two-hour group teaching session and four support calls over 2 weeks. Our primary outcomes were reduced numbers of nightly wakes or parent report of sleep problem severity. Secondary outcomes included impro...