Detailed contribution information
| Contribution title | 3223 - Sleeping behavior of one-year old children and soothing methods used by parents in Kuopio Birth Cohort -study |
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| Contribution code | PS02-59 (P) |
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| Form of presentation | Poster |
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| Abstract |
Objectives: Parental soothing is foundational to the parent-child relationship and infant´s regulatory processes. It helps the baby to calm down and to develop effective self-regulatory methods to survive with stressful situations. However, very little is known about the methods parents use when soothing their babies during nighttime. In this study we were interested to find out how 1-year old Finnish babies sleep and what are the soothing methods used by parents when their children wake up at night. We examined if soothing methods used by parents correlate with baby´s night awakenings and need of parental help in nighttime. Methods: The current study is part of Kuopio Birth Cohort –study (KuBiCo), which aims to determine the effects of prenatal exposures and genetic factors on both the baby´s and mother´s health. At the moment 971 mothers have answered Baby´s sleeping pattern –questionnaire when the baby was 12 months old. Soothing methods that mothers reported were divided into four categories depending on how activating they were (feeding with milk, carrying in arms, giving pacifier and touch or grooning). Preliminary results: In this data, 53% of one-year-old children wake up at least on three nights a week. One third of children fall asleep without parental help. 93% of those who need parental help when going to sleep also need it when they wake up at nighttime and 62% of them wake up at least on three nights a week (compared to 35% of those who fall asleep without parental assistance). 84% of babies who get milk at nighttime wake up regularly compared to 70% of those who are carried in arms, 48% of those who are soothed by pacifier or 53% of those who are soothed by very non-activating methods such as simple touch or crooning. Conclusion: According to preliminary results, soothing methods that activate the child more correlate with more nighttime awakenings in 1-year old Finnish babies. Using a pacifier, touch or crooning may better help the baby to develop self-soothing skills. This finding is in line with earlier knowledge and understanding about the development of baby´s regulation. In the future, correlations between sleeping patterns of babies and maternal psychological stress will be studied. |