About Temperament
Behavior Management
Baby
Understanding your baby’s temperament supports more confident bonding.
Some babies smile and sleep through their first 12 months. Others:
- Are unpredictably hungry
- Have difficulty with sleep
- Cry when left alone
- Are upset by strange noises and places
- Show fear of strangers
- Dislike hugs from relatives
- Fuss during dressing and washing
- Protest when their play is stopped
- Fall unexpectedly
Fussy babies can make parents afraid they are doing something wrong. However, research shows that many early behavior problems are caused by inborn temperament traits.
Learn to work with inborn traits rather than struggle against them!
At the Preventive Ounce, you can:
Fill in a temperament questionnaire and immediately see a profile of your baby’s temperament. The thumbnail examples below show how different babies are in terms of low or high Sensitivity, Movement, Reactions, Frustration Tolerance, Adaptability and more.
What are your baby’s traits? (Click for enlargement)
Baby 1
Baby 2
Learn what specific behavior issues are normal for your baby. Child behavior depends on temperament. For example:
- It’s normal for babies who are slow to adapt to have more difficulty with sleep.
- It’s normal for sensitive, cautious babies to be upset by strangers and new places.
- Adults who don’t understand temperament may instead describe your baby as “a bad sleeper” or “not friendly.”
Then learn how to manage behavior issues in ways that are tailored to your baby’s temperament.
Once you know what to expect, the Preventive Ounce website explains how to manage the issues that are normal for your baby. Understanding your baby’s temperament helps you understand what triggers problem behaviors. Then you can prevent some meltdowns and calmly offer support during others.
Learn to work with inborn traits… rather than struggle against them.
History: The temperament traits discussed here were first described over 60 years ago by Dr. Stella Chess and Alexander Thomas. Since then, more than 40,000 parents have used the Preventive Ounce to make parenting easier and to avoid unnecessary blame and guilt.
Who should use this program? ALL parents. Each child has a temperament, and every temperament has different issues and risks.
For only $10, a 1-year family membership lets you:
- Fill out 4 temperament profiles on 4 different infants, toddlers, or preschoolers, or different adults can complete profiles on the same baby/child.
- Have access to individualized parenting strategies for 1 year.
Your $ also help maintain and upgrade this non-profit website. Thank you.