Why Is My Baby Crying?: The Parent's Survival Guide for Coping with Crying Problems and Colic - Hardcover

Lester PhD, Barry; Grace, Catherine O'Neill

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9780060527143: Why Is My Baby Crying?: The Parent's Survival Guide for Coping with Crying Problems and Colic

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060527145 ISBN 13: 9780060527143

Publisher: William Morrow, 2005

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We want babies to cry. Crying means a baby is robust, is intact, has energy, and can communicate. Parents must try to understand this language of newborns to figure out why their baby is crying and what they can do to help. But one in five babies suffers from colic -- excessive crying that can cause extreme physical and emotional distress and is the first crisis in a parent's relationship with a child. Barry M. Lester, Ph.D., the foremost colic researcher in the country, explains in a way that is straightforward and easy to understand that the ways that parents handle this crisis will set the stage for the relationship they have with their child for the rest of their lives.

Barry Lester speaks directly and compassionately to parents who are struggling to bond with and comfort their crying babies. The founder of the Colic Clinic in Providence, Rhode Island, he draws on his experiences with the babies and families he has worked with over the years to give concerned parents hope, comfort, and support. He understands how difficult colic can be for dads as well as moms. In this book, he describes the science of colic, explains the nuances of different kinds of excessive crying, and tells parents what they need to do to take care of themselves and each other during this difficult stage.

Healthy parenting cannot begin until parents understand the science and psychology of crying and its impact on the emotional life of their baby. This book answers the question that is taking over so many parents' lives: Why is my baby crying?

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About the Author:

Barry M. Lester, Ph.D., is director of the Infant Development Center at Women & Infants Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, which houses the Colic Clinic. He is also professor of psychiatry and human behavior and professor of pediatrics at Brown Medical School.

Catherine O'Neill Grace is the coauthor with Michael Thompson, Ph.D., and Lawrence J. Cohen, Ph.D., of Best Friends, Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Lives of Children and Mom, They're Teasing Me: Helping Your Child Solve Social Problems.

From Publishers Weekly:

Colic affects one in five American babies and can cause families extreme distress and alter their dynamics for years to come. So what exactly is this dreaded condition? The answer to this question proves as hard to pin down as a crying baby, and readers will likely turn the last page of this book as confused as when they started. But no matter how you define it, parents with colicky babies need help, and Lester is certainly qualified for the job. He worked extensively with the noted Dr. Barry Brazelton and established the Colic Clinic at the Women & Infants Hospital in Providence, R.I. Lester makes a compelling case for bringing your squalling baby into his clinic, but for those who aren’t lucky enough to live near Lester and his team of specialists, the type of do-it-yourself advice he offers (get out of the house, help your baby learn to "self-regulate," alter your diet if you are breastfeeding) is disappointingly commonsensical. After reading this book, many a worn-out parent will still feel the need to visit a pediatrician to pin down the specifics of a strategy. For instance, Lester includes a comprehensive Colic Symptom Checklist for parents to fill out, but never gives the tools needed to analyze the results. Lester clearly relishes everything and anything to do with colic and uses the book as a forum to share some of his research findings, such as the incidence of colic in other cultures and how colic impacts fathers. Though these essays prove informative, parents of a crying child may wish for a more direct, no-nonsense guide.
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