6 States of alertness by Dr. T. B.

Brazelton

State What Your Baby Does

Lies quietly without moving; eyes are firmly closed; breathing is deep and regular with no
1. Deep sleep motor activity; baby may have brief startles but will not rouse; in this state growth hormones
are active.

Moves while sleeping; startles at noises; eyes are firmly closed, but there may be slow
rotating movements of the eyes, as this state is REM (rapid eye movement) sleep; bodily
2. Active (light) sleep twitches and irregular or shallow breathing may be apparent; facial movements include
frowns, grimaces, smiles, twitches, mouth movements and sucking; it is thought that brain
growth and differentiation may occur during active sleep.

Eyes may open and close, but look glazed in appearance; may doze; arms and legs may
3. Drowsy state move smoothly; breathing is regular but faster and shallower than in sleep; babies in this
state may be stimulated to a more alert, responsive state.

Body and face are relatively quiet and inactive with bright shining eyes. Sights and sounds
4. Awake, alert state will produce predictable responses. In this state the baby can be very rewarding for
parents. This is the state in which your baby is most amenable to play.

This is a transitional state to crying; available to external stimuli and may be soothed or
brought to an alert state by attractive stimuli; if stimuli are too much, may break down to
5. Alert but fussy state
fussiness; movements are jerky, disorganized and these movements may produces startles
in themselves.

Cries, perhaps screams; sets off automatic responses of concern, responsibility and guilt in
6. Crying parents; this is the most effective mode for attracting a caregiver; different types of cries
communicate hunger, pain, boredom, discomfort and tiredness.