Lesson 2: Understanding Infant Crying

What do you think an infant is trying to communicate when they cry?
How can caregivers respond effectively to crying?
What would happen if you shook a baby?

Factors Causing Infant Crying: Hunger, discomfort (wet diaper, temperature), fatigue, need for attention, and illness.
Shaken Baby Syndrome: Definition, causes, and consequences, including potential long-term effects on development and health.
Purple Crying: Understanding this developmental phase and its characteristics.

FCS National Standard 1.1: Analyze the roles and responsibilities of individuals in families and communities.
FCS National Standard 5.2: Analyze the impact of family and community influences on the development of children.

Standard copy of Text/Online copy
Online assignments as well as hard copies
Highlighted copy of Text for ELL, 504, IEP
Visual Aids
Verbal Explanation
Positive Reinforcement
Hands-on Activities
Flexible Seating
Technology Integration

Level 1: What are three reasons an infant might cry?
Level 3: How can understanding the causes of crying improve caregiver responses?

Cultural Context: How different cultures perceive and respond to infant crying.
Real-World Connections: The importance of responding appropriately to infant cries in caregiving.

Some students may believe that all crying is due to distress.

For Students Needing More Support (ELL, 504, IEP):
Simplified Vocabulary: Pre-teach key terms with visuals and real-life examples. Provide a glossary with simplified definitions.
Chunking Information: Break down complex information into smaller, manageable segments. Use visual aids like flowcharts or graphic organizers to illustrate the sequence of events (e.g., causes of crying to caregiver response).
Highlighted Text/Audio Support: Provide highlighted texts focusing on essential information. Offer audio recordings of the text for auditory learners and ELL students.
Visual Aids: Utilize a vast array of visual aids. Pictures of infants, videos of different crying sounds, and diagrams of shaken baby syndrome's effects.
One on one support: Provide support for students who are struggling with the material.
For Students Needing More Challenge:
Research-Based Exploration: Encourage students to research specific cultural practices related to infant care and crying.
Case Studies: Present real-life case studies of infant crying scenarios and ask students to analyze and recommend appropriate responses.
Learning Styles:
Visual Learners: Utilize videos, diagrams, infographics, and visual presentations.
Auditory Learners: Incorporate audio recordings, class discussions, and verbal explanations.
Kinesthetic Learners: Include hands-on activities like role-playing caregiver responses, practicing soothing techniques on dolls, or creating tactile representations of infant needs.
Flexible Grouping: Allow students to work in small groups, pairs, or individually based on their learning preferences and needs.

Students will create a presentation that lists at least five factors that may cause an infant to cry, explains each factor in detail, and discusses the potential impacts of shaking a baby, including the concept of shaken baby syndrome.

Purple Crying

Soothing a Crying Infant - Slides

• Key Points:
  • Discuss physical, emotional, and environmental factors leading to crying.
  • Explore common myths related to infant crying.