Nighttime sleep‐wake patterns and self‐soothing from birth to one year of age: a longitudinal intervention study

Abstract

Background: The objectives of this study were to: (1) describe the longitudinal development of sleep‐wake patterns of solitary‐sleeping infants from 1 to 12 months of age, (2) identify effects on sleep patterns and on self‐soothing behaviors of introducing a novel sleep aid, and (3) identify predictive factors of self‐soothing at 12 months using a transactional model as a guide. Methods: Eighty infants' nighttime sleep‐wake patterns and associated variables were studied at 5 times across the first year of life using videosomnography and questionnaires. Results: Sleep‐wake state developmental changes, as reported in investigations of infant sleep, were replicated, although a great deal of individual variability in the development of all sleep‐related variables was noted. No major effects on sleep or on self‐soothing behavior were evident from the introduction of the novel sleep aid. Three variables were identified as significant predictors of self‐soothing at 12 months: decreasing amounts of time spent out of crib across the first year, high levels of quiet sleep at birth, and longer parental response times to infant awakenings at 3 months. Conclusions: These data lend preliminary support for the transactional model and suggest that infant and parental factors interact to influence the development of self‐soothing.