The 4 types of infant cries and their functions

The cries and whimpers of infants and newborns can be classified by their causes.

Although crying is a lifelong human function, it is of much greater importance during early infancy; until they develop more complex behavioral patterns, such as gestures and language, crying is the spontaneous way babies convey their needs to adults.

In this article we will describe the functions of crying focusing on the 4 main types described by Peter H. Wolff: hunger, anger, pain, and attention or frustration. Each one has a different presentation pattern, although the angry one is a variant of the hungry one and the attention or frustration one is not always taken into account.

Functions of crying in infants

Crying is the primary mode of communication for infants.. Infants respond to their bodily states of discomfort through the movements, sounds and physiological reactions that make up this phenomenon; although there is no communicative intentionality, adults naturally respond when they see or hear a crying baby.

In particular, scientific research has shown that mothers have responses similar to those of anxiety or stress when their babies cry: the pace when their babies cry: Heart rate accelerates and skin conductance increases as a result of increased sweat secretion.

Theoretical perspectives

From the evolutionary perspective, crying is understood as an adaptation of the human species to life in society. Throughout history, our organism has adapted to express crying and to respond when it occurs in others. In infants, crying would have been especially effective in facilitating survival by promoting help.

T. Berry Brazelton, author of the well-known Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale, hypothesized that crying has the general function of emotional discharge when the infant is subjected to environmental overstimulation. It would therefore be a way of maintaining homeostasis in the nervous system.

Aletha Solter, a developmental psychologist who studied with Jean Piaget, affirmed that crying can be beneficial in releasing tension when it is not due to hunger, pain, pain or stress. when it is not due to hunger, pain or other easily identifiable causes. Solter, like other experts, said the best way to handle babies' crying is to hold them and let it end naturally.

• Related article, "What is crying for?"

The 4 types of crying

Through his clinical observations Peter H. Wolff identified four basic types of crying in infants and young children. In addition to their functions, these types of crying differ in their physical characteristics.It is therefore often possible to discover what is wrong with the baby from the topography of the cry.

Of course, variations of each type can occur, and in fact it has been shown that parents distinguish their own babies' cries more easily than those of others. This is associated with familiarity and the fact that infants imitate the timbre of their parents' voices, the primary influence on their communicative development.

Hunger (basic)

The basic cry is regular and rhythmicThe infant first utters a short cry, followed by a pause of shorter duration during which an inspiration occurs; then the cries and inspirations alternate. This type of cry usually occurs in response to feelings of hunger.

2. Angry

This type of cry is similar to the hunger cry, although in this case the cries are more intense and abrupt because the amount of air expelled by the baby is greater. In addition, the duration of the crying periods in comparison with the inspirations is longer than in the basic type.

3. Painful

The pain cry departs from the basic pattern. In this case the burst of crying is not preceded by complaintsso that it is more sudden. On the other hand, after the cries, the baby holds its breath, unlike the hunger cry and the angry cry.

According to research, we adults are trained to respond more quickly to cries of pain than basic cries, which is logical considering that they are much more striking.

4. Attention or frustration crying

According to Wolff, crying for attention or to express frustration begins to occur later than the rest, from the third week of life. It is a more limited cry than the previous ones since it is made up of the appearance of two or three whimpers. appearance of two or three whimpers. In this case, breath holding is not detected.

Many classifications of the types of crying do not include attention or frustration crying, although its distinctive characteristics make it relevant to separate it from the other types.