How to Determine Baby’s Temperament

When I had a brand new baby Noah, I labeled him as “high needs”. (Thanks internet!)

But did you know I was wrong? He’s the least “high needs” baby/kid I’ve ever met. What he WAS though, was overtired. 😂

But that led me down the road to research actual baby temperament styles and if there is any evidence to them/what might influence a baby’s temperament.

So let’s dive into the research on these topics:

• what is your baby's temperament/4 types of baby temperament

• how to determine baby's temperament

• what temperament does my baby have

• does baby temperament change

• is baby temperament hereditary

• how soon can you tell a baby's temperament

• baby temperament and sleep

• baby temperament and sleep training

• other personality or temperament traits that impact sleep and sleep training

What is your baby's temperament/4 types of baby temperament

The research is mixed on whether there are 3 or 4 types of baby temperament. The ones who list 3 types, say they are:

• Easy

• Slow to warm up

• Difficult

When they list 4 baby temperament types, they say they are:

• Easy

• Challenging (big personalities)

• Sensitive

• Intense

It’s more common to talk about the 3 types of baby temperament when it comes to research, so for the purpose of the blog, that’s what I’ll be referring to!

This study describes the temperaments a little further:

1. Easy or flexible: This category includes children who are friendly and easygoing, comply with routines such as sleep and mealtimes, adapt to changes, and have a calm disposition.

2. Active or feisty: Children who are fussy, do not follow routines and have irregular feeding and sleeping schedules, are apprehensive of a new environment and new people, have intense reactions, and get easily upset.

3. Slow to warm up or cautious: Children who may be less engaged or active, have a shy disposition to a new situation and new people, may withdraw or have a negative reaction. They become more comfortable and warm up with repeated exposure to a new environment or person.

How to determine baby's temperament?

Researchers have found 9 temperamental traits that can be used to group together similar traits into the specific temperament categories.

Those 9 temperament traits are from this study, and they found:

1. Activity: the level and extent of motor activity

2. Regularity: the rhythmicity, or degree of regularity, of functions such as eating, elimination, and the cycle of sleeping and wakefulness.

3. Initial reaction: the baby’s response to new things or new people, in terms of whether the child approaches the new experiences or withdraws from them

4. Adaptability: the adaptability of bheavior changes in the environment

5. Sensitivity: the sensory threshold to stimuli

6. Intensity: the energy level or the intensity of reactions

7. Mood: the child’s general mood or “disposition”, whether cheerful of given to crying, pleasant or cranky, friendly or unfriendly

8. Distractibility: the degree of the child’s distractibility from what he is doing

9. Attention span and persistence: the span of the child’s attention and his persistence in an activity

They then classify the above traits to match each of the temperament types, for example:

• Easy: a positive approach to new situations, adaptability, a positive mood, and a non-intense reaction to stimuli

• Difficult: withdrawal from new situations, slow adaptability, negative mood, and intense reaction (also can be highly sensitive babies)

• Slow to warm: low activity level and low intensity of reaction although they also have a tendency to withdraw from new situations, slow adaptability, and somewhat negative mood (also called cautious)

Roughly 40% of babies have the easy temperament, 10% difficult, and 15% slow to warm temperament. 30% of children do not fall into any of the three identified types.

What temperament does my baby have?

This PDF has a great worksheet for helping to determine your child’s temperament based on the 9 temperamental traits. 

You can see which categories they fall into the most to help you determine what temperament your baby has.

Does baby temperament change?

This goes back to the age old questions of nature vs nurture. 

Studies have shown that nature gives your baby their first personality traits early on, but their environment shapes their personality as well.

At first, the baby responds to their surroundings in a way that is mostly guided by their genes. Later, their life experiences mold these biological patterns, and help make them stronger or more vulnerable in moments of stress (this study).

These differences are collectively referred to as differential susceptibility. They explain why even siblings in the same family setting develop differently. Even if the parenting style is the same, every baby has a different way of experiencing the world around them (this study).

This is why it is especially important to understand your baby’s unique temperament.

Studies at Harvard University tested to see how infants reacted to unfamiliar sights, sounds, and people, and then monitored them as they grew up. The 10 percent of babies on either end of the spectrum -- those who got very upset when exposed to new things and those who hardly reacted at all -- tended to retain their high-strung or laid-back personas as young adults. But the personalities of the roughly 80 percent of babies who fell somewhere in the middle were more likely to change over time.

Is baby temperament hereditary?

Some of their temperament is genetic! From this study, “Large studies have identified several genes that play a role in temperament. Many of these genes are involved in communication between cells in the brain. Certain gene variations may contribute to particular traits related to temperament.”

How soon can you tell a baby's temperament?

A baby’s temperament may be evident as early as a few days after birth.  It may be easily identified in how babies react to the world, and how they express their emotions and needs or it can take some time to figure out. (this study)

Baby temperament and sleep

Individual differences in the maturation and course of infant to early childhood sleep development have been linked to temperament. 

Child resistance to parental proscriptions for bedtime is commonly reported (this study); however, the development of sleep self-regulation has been most strongly related to parental practices, e.g. consistency in bedtime routine, training independence during wake to sleep transitions, and reduced parental proximity during sleep (this study).

So how does temperament affect sleep itself?

This study found, “Negative (difficult) temperament was associated with sleep problems, and with longer sleep latency and night wakefulness” meaning, easy going temperaments will likely have an easier time settling into routines and consolidating sleep whereas more difficult temperaments demonstrate sleep issues.

Baby temperament and sleep training?

“Easy” babies may not even need sleep training because they can settle into patterns predictably and end up sleeping well with or without parents intervening.

If they do end up needing sleep training, pick one and you’ll be good to go!

“Difficult” babies usually do best with consistent boundaries and lots of preparation for what’s coming up. Very gradual methods are going to be more drawn out and troublesome for these little ones. I’d make sure all the puzzle pieces are in place (ie timing, routines, environment) and then choose something a little hands off BUT systematic– meaning, when you respond, you’re doing the same thing every time.

“Slow to warm” babies will do well with gradual and supportive methods WHILE being super consistent with what you’re doing.

Here are a few examples of how you may use personality traits to help determine a method:

1. Distractibilty– if a baby is easily distracted, they will likely respond to a more gradual sleep training technique whereas a baby who can’t be distracted is better suited to a faster transition.

2. Sensitivity– if they don’t respond well to new situations, a gradual approach will be more helpful as opposed to babies who adjust easier to changes.

Other personality or temperament traits that impact sleep and sleep training

Intensity: everything is BIGGER with these babies- they feel ALL the things. When they’re happy, they’re super happy. When they’re mad, everyone knows it. This is the trait that can really throw off sleep training because it’s not a just “fuss for 15 minutes” with extinction. It’s hours of hysterical crying for many nights in a row which means parents abandon sleep training (with good reason!) Stick to gradual methods for these babies.

Persistence: you wouldn’t call these babies “easy”. When you try to change their familiar sleep habits, there will be a FIGHT. These babies may also respond best to gradual or parent present/supportive/consistent sleep training methods.

Perceptiveness: they’re the little ones that notice EVERYTHING! They’ll notice when the routine has been changed AND they’ll notice if you’re inconsistent in how you respond. Have a plan with a routine that is clear and repetitive, including your sleep training response.

Alert: These little ones are going to be sensitive to TIMING– make this your priority when sleep training!

Irregular/unpredictable: nothing is the same, ever. No matter what you try, you can never recreate their “good night” of sleep. Don’t expect linear progress from these little ones– just stay consistent!

Bottom line through all of this and common theme you may have noticed: be consistent.

Sometimes the method you choose is really the least important part of the process and sometimes it’s the make or break part of the process. If you’re tired of trying to figure it out on your own, sleep consultants are trained (or should be) in multiple methods of sleep coaching (or write their own methods 🤓) and that means there is an option out there for every family and infant temperament!

Work with a sleep consultant to figure out your little puzzle today!