New Evidence On Unexplained Early Infant Crying

Babies who cry a lot, or are unsettled in the night, are common sources of concern for parents and, consequently, costly problems for health services. In this book, Ian St James-Roberts summarises the evidence concerning infant crying and sleeping problems to provide a new evidence-based approach to these common challenges for parents and health services. The book begins by distinguishing between infant and parental parts of the problems and provides guidelines for assessing each issue. Topics covered include: • the pros and cons of 'infant-demand' versus 'limit-setting' forms of parenting • causes of infant 'colicky' crying and night waking • effects of night-time separations on infant attachments • interventions such as swaddling, herbal remedies, and 'controlled crying.' Since there is now firm evidence that parents' vulnerabilities and cultural backgrounds affect how problems are defined and guidance is acted upon, and that parents who wish to do so can reduce infant crying and unsettled night waking, social factors are considered alongside medical issues. Translating research evidence into practical tools and guidance, The Origins, Prevention and Treatment of Infant Crying and Sleeping Problems will be essential reading for a wide range of healthcare professionals including mental health staff, social workers, midwives, health visitors, community physicians and paediatricians.

Originally viewed as a sign of disease, crying is now understood as a symptom of problematic functioning in early development. We now know a great deal about normative developmental patterns of infant crying and how they are manifested in various clinical settings--emergency room complaint, painful procedures, colic, temper tantrums, and nonverbal and mentally challenged infants. Crying as a Sign, a Symptom and a Signal brings the reader up to date on this new evidence concerning infant crying in the first few months and years of life. In this authoritative clinical text, an international team of experts explore this new conceptualization of the significance of early infant crying. They bring both historical and methodological perspectives to a multidisciplinary synopsis of the new understanding of this important infant behavior.

The cries of infants and children are familiar to essentially all adults, and we all have our own common sense notions of the meanings of various cries at each age level. As is often the case, in the study of various aspects ofhuman behavior we often investigate what seems self evident to the general public. For example,if an infant cries, he or she needs atttention;if the cry is different than usual, he or she is sick; and when we areupsetby othermatters, children's crying can be very annoy ing. As a pediatric clinician often faced with discussing with parents their concerns or lack of them with respect to their children's crying, these usual commonsense interpretations were frequently inadequate. As this book illustrates, when we investigate such everyday behaviors as children's crying and adults' responses to crying, the nature of the problem becomes surprisingly complex. As a pediatrician working in the newborn nursery early in my career, I knew from pediatric textbooks and from nursery nurses, that newborn infants with high, piercing cries were often abnormal. In order to teach this interestingphenomenon to others and tounderstand under what circumstances it occurred, I found I needed to know what consti tuted a high-pitched cry or even a normal cry, for that matter, and how often this occurred with sick infants. Certainly I saw sick infants who did not have high-pitched cries, but I still wonderedif their cries were deviant in some other way.

For generations, doctors have been diagnosing babies with colic, offering little comfort and few solutions to worried, weary parents. But recent medical advances made through cutting-edge technology now reveal that many if not most cases of colic are actually caused by acid reflux. In this revolutionary book, Bryan Vartabedian, a noted pediatric gastroenterologist and the father of two babies with acid reflux, provides hands-on, practical advice about this hidden epidemic–and how to make your own baby happy again. • Recognize the seven signs of reflux in infancy. • Discover the role of milk protein allergy–the other colic. • Learn what, when, and how to feed an irritable baby and the best positions for sleep. • Recognize the role of formula, breast milk, bottle systems, burping, and pacificers in your baby’s fussiness, and irritability. • Understand when and why your baby may need testing for reflux. Weigh the pros and cons of available treatment options. Identify when a specialist is needed and where to find one. Complete with inspiring real-life cases of colic solved, plus tips, sidebars, and illustrations, this essential guide provides real answers to a problem that has been upsetting babies–and parents–for years. Help and hope are at hand! “This is the book for every parent whose young baby is a ‘bundle of misery,’ in pain, and hard to feed, and for that baby’s pediatrician, too.” –Laura Nathanson, M.D., F.A.A.P., author of The Portable Pediatrician “Great news for exhausted parents and for suffering babies! Colic Solved gets to the root of what is making many babies cry, and offers powerful, real-world solutions. This is a must-have book for desperate parents everywhere.” –Alan Greene, MD, FAAP, author of From First Kicks to First Steps and founder of DrGreene.com

This volume provides a comprehensive and up-to-date theoretical review and practical guide on pediatric gastrointestinal motility and functional disorders. The latest edition includes extensively revised and new chapters to reflect the rapidly growing field of pediatric neurogastroenterology. New topics covered include neurobiology of pain in children, functional oropharyngoesophageal assessment, dysautonomia, and psychotropic drugs. The text also features instructive illustrations, photographs, and tables. Written by world-renown experts in the field, Pediatric Neurogastroenterology: Gastrointestinal Motility and Functional Disorders in Children, Second Edition is a valuable resource for pediatric gastroenterologists, adult gastroenterologists, pediatricians, and all professionals involved in the treatment and management of children with such disorders.

Drawing from their pioneering work on infant-parent mental health, the editors of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health: Core Concepts and Clinical Practice have assembled a comprehensive, clinically useful volume for health care providers who serve children and families from pregnancy through age 5 in their practices.

Using findings from one study in particular, but including evidence from a wide range of studies over the past 10 years, Excessive Crying in Infancy addresses potential causes, suggested solutions, and parental response to this common, debilitating problem. Numerous examples and quotations from parents illustrate the book which offers crucial insights into the experience of parents as they struggle to cope with the chaotic disruption that affects every member of the household, desperately seeking a reason for the crying and a cure to end the misery. The positive effects of supportive interventions are highlighted, together with specific messages that may be important to enhance parents' ability to cope. The text will be of particular interest to health visitors and other community health care professionals who offer support and advise to parents in the home or in the clinic.