British babies ‘cry more on average than those in other countries’

Babies born in the UK are more likely to cry than infants in other countries, according to research from the University of Warwick.

The team assessed data from studies involving almost 8,700 infants in a number of countries, calculating the average of how long babies fuss and cry each day across different cultures in their first 12 weeks of life.

On average, babies were shown to cry for around two hours per day in the first two weeks, peaking at around two hours and 15 minutes at six weeks, before reducing gradually to an average of one hour and ten minutes after 12 weeks.

However, this varied by country, with the UK, Italy, Canada and the Netherlands demonstrating the highest rates of infant crying, while the lowest levels were found in Denmark, Germany and Japan.

Professor Dieter Wolke, at the department of psychology at the University of Warwick, said this research will be useful in helping health professionals reassure parents in different countries about whether their baby is crying within the normal expected range.

He added: "We may learn more from looking at cultures where there is less crying and whether this may be due to parenting or other factors relating to pregnancy experiences or genetics."

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