Why Danish babies cry the least
New research found Danish, German and Japanese babies cry the least
By Livia Gamble
April 04 2017
A new study on crying babies will make you feel better about everything.
New research published in the Journal of Pediatrics found German and Japanese babies followed closely behind the Danes when it comes to how much babies cry.
The meta-analysis looked at 28 previous studies involving nearly 8,700 infants. The aim was to determine the frequency of colic - excessive, frequent crying in a baby who appears to be otherwise healthy and well fed.
On the other hand, researchers found babies in Britain, Canada and Italy cry the most.
Why Danish babies cry the least
Speaking The Guardian, Danish parenting expert and co-author of The Danish Way of Parenting Jessica Joelle Alexander said she wasn’t surprised by the findings.
“The first year of a child’s life is considered so important in Denmark and that’s such a different perspective to other countries. Danish parents are much less stressed because they get good maternity and paternity leave. The vibe is much calmer and, if mothers are getting more time off, that goes hand in hand with less stress, more contact, good routines and less crying.”
She added: “Oh, and Danish babies sleep outdoors a lot.”
As the publication reports, “In Denmark, a woman is entitled to four weeks pregnancy leave (yes, before the baby is even born!) followed by 52 weeks of paid leave that can be shared between parents.”
