Sleep and Feeding Patterns in Infancy

Abstract

This study was conducted to ascertain infant's sleep and feeding patterns for the purpose of building up the positive parent-child relationship and setting up a preliminary parenting education program. The subjects were 16 infants who were cared for in their houses. The data was collected using NCASA developed by Barnard et al. from October 1st to December 3lth, 1999. The analysis of data was done with SPSSWIN for descriptive statistics and t-test, ANOVA, Correlation Analysis.The result were as follows: 1. The average day sleep of the infant was 9.51 hours, night sleep was 6.27 hours, and total sleep was 15.84 hours. The longest period of day sleep was 3.02 hours, and the longest period of night sleep was 3.72 hours. The regularity of day sleep was 34.78%, night sleep was 61.72% and total was 43.76%.2. The frequency of daytime feeding was 5.13 times, nighttime was 2.44 times and total was 7.38 times. The regularity of feeding was 52.14%.3. In the correlation between sleep and feeding patterns, night sleep was negatively correlated with feeding method(r= -.52, P< 0.05), the longest period of day sleep was negatively correlated with feeding method(r= -.73, P< 0.001), feeding frequency(r= -.60, P< 0.05), the regularity of feeding(r=-.70, P<0.001). The longest period of night sleep was negatively correlated with feeding frequency (r= -.53, P<0.05). Feeding method was positively correlated with feeding frequency(r= .71, P<0.001), the regularity of feeding(r= .57, P<0.05). Day sleep was positively correlated with total sleep(r= .93, P<0.001), the regularity of total sleep was positively correlated with the longest period of day sleep(r= .54, P<0.05), total sleep(r= .65, P<0.001). The regularity of feeding was positively correlated with feeding method(r= .57, P<0.05), total feeding frequency(r= .50, P<0.05), the frequency of daytime feeding(r= .61, P<0.05). Feeding method was positively correlated with total feeding frequency(r= .71, P<0.001). In conclusion, the study showed that infants slept more in the nighttime than in the daytime, but after 3 months the pattern changed and showed that nighttime sleep was increased. Also the regularity of night sleep was increased with the infant's age. Total feeding frequency was decreased with the infant's age, and the regularity of feeding was increased in infants who slept shorter periods in the daytime than in the nighttime.