The team looked at the amount for which babies cry in their first three months and therefore were able to device a chart indicating the "normal" amount of crying. The chart would facilitate health workers in guiding parents about the normal range of baby's crying and to ascertain if their child fits in.
Infantile or baby colic is defined as episodes of crying. It can last for more than three hours a day, for more than three days a week or for more than three weeks in a month. It was found that babies in Italy, Canada are Britain were most colic with high levels. The lowest colic rates were found in Denmark and Germany.
The study concluded that babies cry for at least two hours in a day in the first two weeks of their birth. The episodes increase in following weeks until they hit a plateau at around two hours 15 minutes a day as they turn 6 weeks old. By the time they are 3 months old, the crying reduces to one hour 10 minutes.
Despite the research, some babies may not fit the pattern and can cry as little as 30 minutes a day, many others can even go on to wail for over five hours in a day.
The research was published in the Journal Pediatrics and analysis over 8000 babies in countries including, Canada, Denmark, Japan, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Britain.With Inputs from PTI