48 After the fourth month of life, there is a decrease in periods of inconsolable crying; the crying becomes more intentional and more related to environmental events.49 This same pattern was observed in reproductions of the study by Brazelton in a similar population, i.e., Western human infants50, 51, 52, 53 and 54 and in different populations, such as in studies with babies born in a hunter society from FG-4592 mouse northwest Botswana (Kung San!) with preterm human infants and non-primate mammal infants,55, 56, 57 and 58 suggesting that this pattern is robust and universal. Moreover, the fact that the Brazelton study has been replicated

in different selleck products eras is further evidence that this pattern of crying is universal, persisting over time. It is noteworthy that, although there are individual differences in the amount of time during which each baby cries a day, there is an increase in this average daily crying for all babies, with a peak and subsequent decrease. The crying pattern

also includes episodes of prolonged inconsolable and unpredictable crying, which typically occur in the late afternoon or early evening and are accompanied by facial expressions of pain and increased muscle tone.59 and 60 These characteristics of crying were usually associated with the occurrence of colic in babies. However, according to Barr et al., although these episodes occur

more frequently in infants who have frequent colic, they are not unique to this population. Moreover, according to these authors, these episodes are specific to the first months of the baby’s life, and do not commonly occur after this period.46 Although crying is normal for this period of the baby’s life, it can cause frustration and stress for the family, factors that appear to contribute to the occurrence of AHT.59 and 60 Barr et al. and Lee et al. investigated whether the curve of incidence of AHT cases Sorafenib molecular weight according to the victim’s age matched the curve of the mean duration of crying according to the baby’s age; the only difference between the studies was that in the former, the investigated AHT cases were recorded in California hospitals,59 whereas the second study investigated cases of AHT published by the media.60 The results of both studies indicated that the curves of crying and occurrence of AHT were quite similar, which provides empirical evidence for the assumption that crying is a precipitating factor for the occurrence of this form of maltreatment.59 and 60 According to Lee et al, confirmation of this assumption also offers further significant evidence for the importance of prevention programs for AHT that must occur at least until the second month of the baby’s life in order to be effective.