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

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.