A 15-year-old parent brings a 4-month-old infant for a well-baby checkup. The parent tells the nurse that the baby cries all the time; the parent has tried everything to keep the infant quiet but nothing works. What is the priority nursing action?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

During the first 3-4 months of life, it is not unusual for an infant to cry 1-3 hours a day in response to being hungry, thirsty, tired, in pain, bored, or lonely. A very young, first-time parent may not have an appreciable understanding of normal infant behavior and may perceive normal crying as excessive. It is most important for the nurse to assess the infant's pattern and quality of crying to better understand whether it is normal behavior or a sign of something more serious that requires further evaluation and treatment. The nurse needs to determine: What "all the time" means When the "all the time" crying started What makes the crying worse and what makes it better The quality of the crying (tone, pitch, loudness) Length and quality of periods of silence (Option A) A pacifier would be appropriate to calm and soothe this infant. However, the nurse needs to first assess the pattern and quality of the crying along with the methods the parent is already using. (Option B) Finding out what the parent is already doing to comfort the child is part of the nursing assessment. In this case, however, it is more important to determine if the crying is normal or abnormal. (Option D) Exploring the parent's support system is an appropriate nursing action to determine if the parent has anyone to turn to when frustrated in caring for the infant. However, it is not the most important assessment. Educational objective: When a parent tells the nurse that an infant cries "all the time," the priority nursing action is to assess the pattern, quality, and frequency of the child's crying. This will help the nurse determine if the crying is normal infant behavior or a sign of a more serious condition that requires further evaluation and treatment.

A 15-Year-Old Parent Brings a 4-Month-Old Infant for a Well-Baby