Babies cry, you can cope (ICON)

Baby laid down crying

We have introduced the I Can Cope (ICON) programme to support parents and carers to understand the normal crying pattern of young infants and keep babies safe.

Babies cry, you can cope (ICON)

The ICON programme to support parents and carers to understand the normal crying pattern of young infants and keep babies safe.We know that during the coronavirus pandemic stress levels at home are likely to be increased further.

Our aim is to help parents and carers to understand what is normal and when to seek further advice, as well as develop successful coping mechanisms to manage the stresses which can be caused by normal infant crying. 

Video transcript:  MY Maternity - ICON and Safer Sleep.docx[docx] 15KB 

The ICON programme

The ICON is an evidence-based programme which delivers four simple messages before the birth and in the first few months of a baby’s life:  

I – Infant crying is normal

C – Comforting methods can help   

O – It’s OK to walk away   

N – Never, ever shake a baby   

Baby crying

Having a newborn baby can be exciting, magical … and can also be stressful. When you are surviving on little or no sleep, are exhausted and trying to soothe a baby who seemingly will not stop crying can be difficult for anyone.

For parents, a crying baby can be upsetting and also frustrating. However a baby’s cry is designed to get your attention and is completely normal.  For further information you can access www.iconcope.org, which is a programme aimed at helping parents and carers with young babies to cope with infant crying.

Your baby may start to cry more frequently at about 2 weeks of age. The crying may get more frequent and last longer during the next weeks, hitting a peak at about 6-8 weeks. Every baby is different, but after about 8 weeks, babies start to cry less and less each week. ICON will provide you with techniques to cope. Remember, infant crying is normal and it will stop. Comfort methods can sometimes help. It’s OK to walk away if it’s getting to you, once you have checked your baby is safe. And never shake or hurt a baby.