To research this, Lester and colleagues recorded the cries of more than 20,000 newborns two times during the infants' first week of life, using computer analysis to measure acoustic variables. Research showed that the SIDS babies cried at a higher frequency. The advent of computer digitization of babies' cries not only improved Lester's work, but complicated it as well. The Infant Development Program also provides clinical services to local parents with colicky babies. To prevent potential parenting problems, parents must understand their babies' cries.
Some parents become quite upset and it can interfere with how they treat a baby.
A severe cry can lead to child abuse. Parents who do not read their babies well are often undermined by depression and low self-esteem, Lester says. Conversely, there are benefits for those who understand their children's wails. Eighteen months later, infants with the strongest wails whose mothers had correctly identified their urgency scored highest on a language-development test. Babies vary in how well they communicate.