Jove
Visualize
Contact Us

Related Experiment Videos

Infant formula quiets crying human newborns

E M Blass1

  • 1Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.

Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics : JDBP
|June 1, 1997
PubMed
Summary

Milk and sucrose effectively calm crying newborns, with effects lasting after administration. However, milk does not trigger hand-to-mouth behavior, unlike sucrose, indicating separate calming and motor mechanisms.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Effects of colostrum in newborn humans: dissociation between analgesic and cardiac effects.

Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBP·2002
Same author

The ontogeny of face recognition: eye contact and sweet taste induce face preference in 9- and 12-week-old human infants.

Developmental psychology·2001
Same author

Evolutionary biology and the practice of medicine: the case of management of infant pain experience.

Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBP·2000
Same author

Skin-to-skin contact is analgesic in healthy newborns.

Pediatrics·2000
Same author

Milk-induced hypoalgesia in human newborns.

Pediatrics·1997
Same author

Reduced heat loss following sucrose ingestion in premature and normal human newborns.

Early human development·1997
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal care
  • Infant behavior
  • Developmental neuroscience

Background:

  • Newborns exhibit crying as a primary communication method.
  • Understanding effective soothing methods is crucial for infant care.
  • The physiological responses to oral stimuli in newborns require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the calming effects of milk and sucrose versus water in crying newborns.
  • To investigate the persistence of soothing effects from different oral substances.
  • To differentiate the mechanisms underlying infant calming and hand-to-mouth behaviors.

Main Methods:

  • Crying newborns received 0.1 mL of milk (Similac), 12% sucrose solution, or water every minute for 5 minutes.
  • Infant crying duration and persistence of calm were recorded.
  • Hand-to-mouth movements were observed during and after substance delivery.

Main Results:

  • Both milk and sucrose significantly reduced infant crying, with effects persisting for 3 minutes post-administration.
  • Water provided only marginal and transient quieting.
  • Milk administration did not induce hand-to-mouth movements, whereas sucrose did.

Conclusions:

  • Milk is an effective agent for quieting human newborns, with enduring calming effects.
  • The mechanisms responsible for calming infants and triggering hand-to-mouth engagement are distinct and independent.
  • These findings have implications for understanding neonatal responses to oral stimuli and developing targeted soothing strategies.

Related Experiment Videos