Infant temperament: implications for later sleep and eating/feeding

Abstract

Objective: A study was conducted to investigate links between infant temperament and eating/feeding, as well as sleep, in the toddler period. Background: Prior studies suggest there may be important connections between temperament and these health-related areas of functioning. However, existing research has been rather limited, generally cross-sectional in nature, with an emphasis on challenging aspects of temperament. As a result, positive emotionality and regulatory capacity, as well as more fine-grained domains of temperament, have been largely neglected. Method: Mothers who participated in an infant temperament evaluation were invited to take part in the follow-up study addressing sleep and eating/feeding for toddlers, completing questionnaires concerning these areas of functioning (N = 27). The Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire (BISQ) and the Infant Feeding Practices Questionnaire (IFQ) were utilised to measure sleep and eating/feeding difficulties, respectively, whereas the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R) provided indicators of temperament. Results: Greater infant Vocal Reactivity translated into increased concerns regarding toddler under-eating, whereas Smiling and Laughter were linked with more positive mealtime interactions. Vocal Reactivity, Smiling and Laughter, and High Intensity Pleasure together contributed to Using Food to Calm Fussiness. Conclusions: Fine-grained temperament distinctions appear as important in examining links with eating/feeding and sleep. Implications for understanding child health-related variables in the context of infant temperament are discussed.