Parents at end of their tether over babies’ cries

The nationwide research, of 5,000 parents, was conducted by UK charity Cry-Sis, alongside Colief Infant Drops, which has launched a campaign to help parents learn how to comfort their crying baby.

A quarter of all parents taking part said they had to take a break from their baby’s crying to compose themselves and another 14% saying they were so stressed by the sounds of their baby’s cry they had done something uncharacteristic, like slamming a door.

“Crying in babies is a normal response to hunger or discomfort. Excessive crying is not, especially if it continues for many hours. Often it can’t be explained and can be hard to cope with, especially for new parents,” said John Bullen, from Cry-Sis.

Most parents thought that their baby cried because they were tired, while 47% felt their baby had suffered with colic.

“The reason some babies suffer from excessive crying – one of the symptoms of colic, is unclear. However ruling out milk sensitivity is one of the first recommended NHS steps,” said Sharon Skelton from Colief.

Read more…

• Cause of colic found?
• 10 ways to understand your baby’s crying
• Controlled crying method of getting your baby to sleep