Which Countries Have The Fussiest Babies? Infants In The UK, Italy And Canada Cry The Most; Here's Why

You might think your baby is fussy, but unless you’re a parent in Britain, Canada, Italy, or the Netherlands, your little bundle of joy is probably an angel in comparison. A new study has found that babies in those countries cry the most, while parents in Denmark and Japan enjoy the most quiet time with babies who cry the least.

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Researchers in the United Kingdom looked at colic rates during the first three months of an infant’s life. Colic is not a disease but the term used for babies who cry despite being healthy, according to What to Expect. Colic symptoms include bouts of crying that last for at least three hours and happen at least three times a week for at least three weeks.

The scientists also found that babies cried less as they got older. “The duration of fussing/crying drops significantly after eight-nine weeks of age, with colic as defined by modified Wessel criteria being rare in infants older than nine weeks,” the co-authors write in the paper. Additionally, in the first six weeks of a baby’s life, they found that the average amount of time children cried was 117 to 133 minutes. This dropped to just over an hour by three months old. Further, babies were more likely to have colic in the first six weeks than by 8 to 9 and 10 to 12 weeks.

"Babies are already very different in how much they cry in the first weeks of life," said co-author Dieter Wolker of Warwick University, in a Reuters story. "We may learn more from looking at cultures where there is less crying—(including) whether this may be due to parenting or other factors relating to pregnancy experiences or genetics."

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WebMD advises that there isn’t a specific treatment to cure colic. However, the health site recommends using soothing sounds or motion as well as switching to a special bottle that reduces air inhalation to ease crying.

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