CURRENT TOPIC Persistent infant crying

at about 6-8 weeks, following which there is a rapid decline. At two months, average total fuss and crying times of 2-21⁄212 hours/24 hour day have been reported by the three studies. Prolonged crying is common at this early stage, with 29% of Northamptonshire infants crying for three or more hours a day during the first three months, declining to roughly 7-10% thereafter.6 (2) Rates of maternal distress and referral parallel these crying figures, so that in the first three postnatal months, 20% of Northamptonshire mothers reported being upset by their baby's crying in the preceding week, and 11% had sought recent clinical referral for such crying. The corresponding prevalences were 7-13% and 3-4%, respectively, during the remainder of the year.6 (3) Infant crying is not uniform across the day, but shows a circadian organisation from the first weeks onwards. In the first quarter, crying commonly clusters in the afternoon and evening. Of Northamptonshire infants, 21%