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Help Wanted: Who Do New Parents Turn to
When Their Baby Cries a Lot?
Although a network of clinics and specialists exists to help mothers
solve their infant’s feeding problems, there is little support for the
parents of screaming babies. That’s unfortunate because while the urge
to quiet a baby is instinctual, the ability to do it is a skill that must be
learned.
Today’s parents have less experience caring for babies than any
previous generation. (Amazingly, our culture requires more training to
get a driver’s license than to have a baby.)
That’s not to say that inexperienced moms and dads are abandoned.
On the contrary, they’re bombarded with suggestions. In my experience,
America’s favorite pastime is not baseball but giving unasked-for advice
to new parents. “It’s boredom.” “It’s the heat.” “Put a hat on him.” Or
“It’s gas.”

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It can be so confusing! Who should you believe?
In frustration and concern, parents often turn to their doctor for help.
Studies show that one in six couples visit a doctor because of their
baby’s persistent crying. When these babies are examined and found to
be healthy, most doctors have little to offer but sympathy. “I know it’s
hard, but be patient; it won’t last forever.” Advice like this often sends
worried parents to look for help in baby books.
Parents of colicky babies spend hours scanning books for “the answer”
to their infant’s distress. Yet, often the advice can be equally confusing:
“Hold your baby—but be careful not to spoil him.” “Love your baby—
but let him cry himself to sleep.”
Even these experts confess that for really fussy babies, they have
nothing to offer:
Very often, you may not even be able to quiet the
screaming.
What to Expect the First Year, Eisenberg, Murkoff, and
Hathaway