WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR INFANT CRIES PERSISTENTLY

Children who cry for abnormal periods of time during much of their infancy are more likely than their peers to exhibit hyperactivity and academic problems during their middle childhood.

Although most children termed persistent criers during their infancy did not develop behaviour problems later in life, they did exhibit an increased risk relative to their peers.

The findings indicate that in those infants who persist in their crying beyond 4 months of age, and where this is associated with persistent feeding or sleeping problems, there is an increased risk for attention/hyperactivity problems.

Infants were considered persistent criers if they regularly cried for many hours a day, and the period of unexplained crying lasted longer than the normal colic period for babies, which occurs in the first 3 months of life.

Colicky babies -- who can also be fussy and seemingly inconsolable -- have not been found to exhibit any long-term consequences from their early crying.
Pediatrics June 6, 2002;109:1054-1060

DR. MERCOLA'S COMMENT: Obviously infants do not have the ability to communicate in words. Crying is the only way they know how to communicate. Crying is the clue for parents that something is wrong and needs to be changed. I don't believe children are born with "irritable genes", more often than not this is related to their diet and some type of biochemical abnormality that is making them uncomfortable.

Vaccines are a major factor of the autism epidemic that we are currently experiencing. It is highly likely that the rate of autism would be dramatically decrease, despite vaccines, if children had a rich supply of DHA and EPA in their brain to compensate for the damage.

Please note, I mention fish oil supplements, not fish. Fish should not be eaten, especially by pregnant women. It has been my experience that virtually all fish are contaminated with mercury and are best left alone.

Many children develop eczema or atopic dermatitis. You can review my recent letter to the British Medical Journal that reviews how the diet can be changed to correct the dry skin that is frequently a cause of infant crying. (www.mercola.com)

PHILLIP DAY'S COMMENT: It is my experience too that essential fats help marvellously in the prevention and treatment of behavioural problems (especially primrose oil for properly diagnosed hyperactivity). Children may also be suffering from casein (cow's milk) intolerance, which can trigger the 'terrible two's' syndrome. Facial swelling, eczema, excessive mucus and other tell-tale signs should be fairly obvious. Please see Health Wars for a full chapter on the hazards of cow's milk for the child. Remember, we are the only creature on Earth that gets weaned off our mother's milk only to spend the rest of our lives stuck under the udders of a completely different species. Sounds like the ad boys in Madison Avenue and Kingsway have pulled off a marvellous marketing coup.