The parents of an eight-month-old infant are very distressed that the infant cries for at least one hour when they go out on Friday nights. Which of these statements should the nurse make to the parents?

Question

1. "Your infant is attached to you. This is an expected infant response."
2. "Your baby seems to be afraid of the sitter. Why don't you try another sitter?"
3. "Your infant is too young to be experiencing stranger anxiety; however, you might need to stop going out on Friday nights for a while."
4. "Oh, don't worry. All infants and toddlers display these behaviors until at least 2½ years old."

Answer 1

1
Rationale 1: The best response is to explain to the parents about attachment behaviors and to provide assurance that this is a normal infant response.
Rationale 2: At eight months, separation anxiety is normal. There is no indication that the baby fears the sitter.
Rationale 3: Eight-month-old infants do experience stranger anxiety. Parents who take a break from parenting can be effective when they are with their infant, and they should not be encouraged to change this behavior.
Rationale 4: This is a non-therapeutic response. Infants usually stop experiencing stranger anxiety before 2½ years of age.
Global Rationale: