Interventions to Support Parents Whose Babies Cry Excessively: Systematic Review
Abstract
Context
Parents report that around 10% to 20% of babies cry a lot without an apparent reason during early infancy. This “excessive” infant crying can lead to adverse outcomes, including parental depression, breastfeeding cessation, impaired parent–child relationships, and, in extreme cases, infant abuse. Cost-effective parent-support services are needed.
Objective
To assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions designed to support parents of excessively crying babies. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE, Embase, EconLit, Web of Science, Scopus, PsycINFO, CINAHL and CENTRAL were searched from inception to 8th April 2025. The NIHR CRN database and handsearching were used to identify further studies. STUDY SELECTION Comparative studies reporting parental outcomes for any intervention supporting parents of excessively crying infants aged ≤1 year were included. DATA EXTRACTION Two independent reviewers conducted data extraction and assessed risk of bias. Meta-analysis was performed when possible; otherwise, narrative synthesis was conducted.
Results
Meta-analysis found that educational interventions significantly reduced parental stress or anxiety. Narrative analyses produced mixed findings, but components common to successful educational interventions were indicated. Meta-analyses of studies administering probiotics to infants found significant improvements in parents’ quality of life but not in parental depression. No safety data and limited economic evidence were found.
Limitations
Few studies measured similar enough parental outcomes to be pooled in meta-analysis. Risk of bias ranged from unclear to high risk.
Conclusions
Educational and probiotic interventions show promise for supporting parents of excessively crying babies. Additional controlled trials employing evidence-based interventions and outcome measures and cost-effectiveness analyses are needed to build on these findings.
