Study of the sleeping and waking states of infants was extended to the time domain by analyzing their temporal covariation over a 4-week interval using the intra-person correlation coefficient. As a methodological question, inter-person and intra-person correlation matrices were compared. Twenty-eight fullterm, normal infants were observed in the home weekly from 2 to 5 weeks of age. Over each 7-hour observation, the following states were recorded every 10 seconds: Alert, Non-Alert Waking Activity, Fussing, Crying, Daze, Drowse, Sleep-Wake Transition, Active Sleep, Quiet Sleep, and Unclassified Sleep (sleep during periods of the day when a mother was holding her baby). Data were obtained in two social contexts: when the baby was with the mother and when alone. Significant individual differences were found for each of the states in both social contexts. When the baby was alone, there were a greater number of intra-person correlations than inter-person correlations. All correlations between the waking states and Active Sleep or Quiet Sleep were negative, suggesting the hypothesis that the underlying neurobiological mechanisms may allow a degree of substitution among coupled sleep and wake states. This is an extension of the original hypothesis by Roffwarg, Muzio, and Dement. There were fewer systematic relationships among the states when the babies were with their mother in comparison with periods when they were alone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)