In a research looking at how much babies around the world cry in their first three months, psychologists from Britain have created the first universal charts for normal amounts of crying during that period. This research stated that ” we may learn more from looking at cultures where there is less crying, including whether this maybe due to parenting or other factors relating to pregnancy experiences or genetics”.
In Britain, Canada and Italy, they found the highest levels of colic-defined as crying more than 3 hours a day. The study found that on average, babies cry for around 2 hours a day in the first 2 weeks. They then cry a little more in the following few weeks until they peak at around 2 hours 15 minutes a day at six weeks. This then reduces to an average of one hour 10 minutes by the time they are 12 weeks. This chart would help health workers reassure parents whether their baby is crying within a normal range in the first 3 months, or may need extra support.