Hunziker U A, Barr R G
Pediatrics. 1986 May;77(5):641-8.
The crying pattern of normal infants in industrialized societies is characterized by an overall increase until 6 weeks of age followed by a decline until 4 months of age with a preponderance of evening crying. We hypothesized that this "normal" crying could be reduced by supplemental carrying, that is, increased carrying throughout the day in addition to that which occurs during feeding and in response to crying. In a randomized controlled trial, 99 mother-infant pairs were assigned to an increased carrying or control group. At the time of peak crying (6 weeks of age), infants who received supplemental carrying cried and fussed 43% less (1.23 v 2.16 h/d) overall, and 51% less (0.63 v 1.28 hours) during the evening hours (4 PM to midnight). Similar but smaller decreases occurred at 4, 8, and 12 weeks of age. Decreased crying and fussing were associated with increased contentment and feeding frequency but no change in feeding duration or sleep. We conclude that supplemental carrying modifies "normal" crying by reducing the duration and altering the typical pattern of crying and fussing in the first 3 months of life. The relative lack of carrying in our society may predispose to crying and colic in normal infants.
工业化社会中正常婴儿的哭闹模式特点是，在6周龄前总体呈上升趋势，之后至4月龄呈下降趋势，且晚上哭闹更为常见。我们推测，通过增加抱持（即除了喂奶时和回应哭闹时的抱持外，全天增加抱持时间）可以减少这种“正常”哭闹。在一项随机对照试验中，99对母婴被分为增加抱持组或对照组。在哭闹高峰期（6周龄），接受增加抱持的婴儿总体哭闹和烦躁时间减少了43%（分别为1.23小时/天和2.16小时/天），晚上（下午4点至午夜）减少了51%（分别为0.63小时和1.28小时）。在4周龄、8周龄和12周龄时也出现了类似但程度较小的减少。哭闹和烦躁减少与满足感增加及喂奶频率提高相关，但喂奶时长和睡眠无变化。我们得出结论，增加抱持通过减少哭闹时长并改变出生后头3个月哭闹和烦躁的典型模式，从而改变“正常”哭闹情况。我们社会中相对缺乏抱持可能使正常婴儿易出现哭闹和腹绞痛。
