What is your baby’s temperament?

Article by Tess Dixon

One of the tricks I learned as a mother that helped me sleep train my kids was to figure out their baby temperament. Once I had that sussed, I could then find the sleep methods that best worked for each of my children. Of course, there are many different temperaments but I found the Angel, Touchy, Spirited and Grumpy set were the easiest to assess. Most babies will have a tendency toward one temperament, but with touches of another. Below I describe each of these four baby temperaments and how to spot their defining characteristics. I myself have 3 gorgeous kids who are an Angel / Spirited; an Touchy / Angel and a Spirited / Grumpy!!

So, what are these babies’ like and how do they behave when it comes to sleep?

Angel:

As the name suggests, the angel baby is easy. They are mellow, undemanding and portable. The will feed with little fuss, play independently and generally sleep well. They may fuss for the average time of 20 mins before falling asleep but will then nap or sleep according to plan. If they do become over-tired or over-stimulated then settling is not a major issue. Parents of an Angel baby may feel they are amazing parents, but then get a nasty shock when baby number 2 arrives and has a different temperament. Their pervious parenting methods probably do not work. A gentle routine is usually all an angel baby needs.

Cues to spot an Angel baby:

· Rarely cries

· Lies peacefully in their crib and drifts off to sleep

· Smiles at everything and everybody

· They are extremely portable

· They are rarely rattled

· They took to the water like a duck

· They are relaxed and alert almost always

· The latched on immediately – it was a snap right from day one

· They always let me know exactly what they need

· They are very adaptable

· They settle in easily and immediately

· The can amuse themselves for long periods by staring at anything, even the slats in their crib

· They are incredibly well-behaved and easy

· They feel utterly safe in their own bed (cot/bassinet)

· You hardly know there’s a baby in the house – they are as good as gold

Touchy:

These babies are rather-sensitive. For them, the world is full of small baby challenges that they have to struggle through each day. They have aversions to light and noise, and often fuss or cry during the day for no apparent reason. When they play they will look to mum for constant reassurance and support. When they go to bed they will find it hard to fall asleep. A good, solid routine works wonders. They love structure, but this will easily be disrupted if there is a change to their day – for example, if there is an unexpected visitor, or the supermarket has sold out of their favourite formula. To sooth a touchy baby I recommend using a mix of the right environment, a snuggly swaddle, lots of shushing/patting and gentle parental support. Blocking out all visual stimuli (dark bedroom), and offering a dummy/soother to suckle on. However, even with all of these tools, they still may be difficult to settle if they are overtired or over stimulated. Patience is key!

Signs you may have a touchy baby:

· They cry for no apparent reason

· They fuss a bit and seem to be drifting off, but then wake again for no apparent reason

· When they wake they need immediate attention or they start crying

· When there is a loud noise they visibly flinch and often start to cry

· They appear tense and very reactive to external stimuli

· After their bath they are often cranky, as if they can’t stand being naked

· They blink excessively or try to turn their head away from the light

· When feeding they squirm and wriggle

· and take a long time to finish the bottle

· When nursing they usually want to suckle but go on and off the breast and fuss a great deal

· They cry easily if too many people hold them

· They find it hard to be amused in unfamiliar surroundings

· It seems that they are sensitive to everything

· It appears that they feel insecure in their bed (cot/bassinet)

· People often describe them as a very delicate little thing

Spirited:

These babies know what they want and they will let you, and everyone else, know about it. They are loud, vocal and possibly aggressive. They don’t like a dirty nappy and this is often an issue when trying to nap if they soil a nappy just as they are drifting to sleep. It can be hard to resettle them after a nappy change. Their body movements are often described as jerky, which is one of the reasons that swaddling them is so important – however they don’t like to be swaddled. Getting these babies to go down for a nap can be a challenge as they won’t want to miss out on anything exciting going on. So, blocking out visual and audial stimulation is key for them. If they become over-stimulated or over-tired winding them down can take some time and patience but it will be worth it in the long run.

Spirited babies will:

· Cry very loudly, and if I don’t attend to it, they quickly get into a rage cry

· They are very restless and often need to be swaddled or held

· Screams or yells often

· They will smile a lot and are also very vocal, tending to make them very loud babies

· When we go out they are very demanding of attention

· If they hear a loud noise they get loud also

· When they bath, they are wild – flailing about and splashing for fun

· Their body movements are jerky – arms and legs are often flailing all over the place

· When having their nappy changed they wriggle a lot and try to pull everything off the changing table

· They can become overstimulated with sudden bright lights

· When feeding they grab at the bottle aggressively and tend to overeat

· When nursing they eat well, as long as they are held the way they want

· They always assert their likes and dislikes very clearly and often loudly

· They are often overstimulated and hard to calm down

· They need a lot of stimulation to be amused

· When crawling or walking they get into everything

Grumpy:

These are the babies that have ‘been here before’ but unfortunately are not happy about returning. They seem somewhat mad at the world and spend a large amount of their time fussing. When it comes to sleeping they whinge and cry and fuss – these poor tots find sleep hard to achieve and often resort to catnapping throughout the day. When they are overtired, they become even more resistant to sleeping as it is hard to console their long, loud cries. ‘Outwitting’ a grumpy baby by making sure they have a full tummy, a clean nappy and the correct sleeping environment will help this wee one to sleep. Anticipating their needs before it becomes a problem is key.

You’ll know if you have a grumpy baby, but here are some signs:

· They cry a lot and seem to resent being put down

· Upon waking they whimper in their cot

· They will smile but only under the right circumstances

· When out and about they don’t like to be handled a lot

· If there is a sudden loud noise they will start to cry

· Their body language is rigid – arms and legs are often fairly stiff

· They will make loud, aggressive noises when they are angry

· Dressing them – they hate it – it is always a battle

· If bottle fed they are often cranky and feedings can take a long time

· If breastfed they get very annoyed and restless, as if there is not enough milk for them

· When communicating they usually get attention with loud, angry crying

· He refuses anyone’s arms except Mummy’s or Daddy’s

· They are not easily amused by anything

· They resent being put down into bed

The temperament of your baby definitely has an effect on how well baby will sleep, what sleep routine to use, or what settling method is best. This could be the reason there are so many different theories, books and opinions on baby sleep. Defining your baby’s temperament is one of the first steps in helping achieve a happy, healthy baby with a sleep routine that suits them and everyone in the family.

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