The first year of life. Crying babies.

Apart from the subtle method of eye-to-eye communication the baby has { I N EE D no other way of signalling his needs to his mother than by crying. The baby who is quiet or "good" may be abnormal or ill. As crying is a non-specific call for help, obvious needs should be investigated. In most cases no remediable cause is found and the problem may resolve spontaneously when the infant is about 3 months old. By then, however, the parents may have become exhausted from lack of sleep. As well as suggesting any appropriate management, the family doctor should encourage parents to take one or two evenings off together each week to visit friends or go to a film.