Excessive crying, difficulties in feeding such as food refusal and difficulties with falling asleep or maintaining sleep after 4–6 months of age are labelled infant regulatory problems (RPs). If RPs occur together (having more than one RP), they have been found to be associated with behaviour and emotional problems in childhood and even in adulthood.1
There is emerging evidence that alterations in brain activation may mediate the effects of infant RPs on emotional outcomes.2 RPs occur frequently with up to 25% of infants experiencing single RPs and 4%–10% multiple RPs. Concern about their infant’s health and the distress caused to parents make RPs one of the most frequent reason for parents to seek help from child health professionals in the first year of life. Considering the number of infants and parents affected every year worldwide, it is surprising that there are so few prospective studies that have investigated factors related to infant RPs and their consequences.
View Full Text Archives of Disease in Childhood
Wolke, D. (2019). Persistence of infant crying, sleeping and feeding problems: need for prevention. Archives of Disease in Childhood, archdischild-2019-317578. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2019-317578