– During their first weeks, most newborns cry for about two hours a day – or night! The crying of a baby has a powerful effect on his or her parents’ amygdala – a key part of the brain – that push them to take urgent measures to ensure the well-being and survival of their offspring. Infants are like chicks in a nest, depending almost entirely on their parents to keep them warm, fed, safe and protected.

– What happens in the first months matters a lot and parents who are relaxed and comfortable with their own emotions are able to listen sensitively and respond promptly to their child. During this period – crucial for brain development – a disordered relationship will have lasting consequences on the baby’s own amygdala, hormonal levels, stress response and style of attachment. Research has shown that the more responsive the parents are in the early months, the less their baby will cry the following months.

  Image: Crying Baby /  Wikimedia Commons

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