Cry or Be Eaten

Last night, as my six month old daughter was falling asleep she fussed a little. She was lying next to me but she struggled to get closer. As soon as I picked her up she fell asleep. This happens a lot, but this time I wondered why. What was the purpose? If every trait went through natural selection… what is the advantage of crying?

If my daughter were a cave baby, her fussing would have actually made her more safe. By picking her up she was less likely to fall prey to a mountain lion, coyote, or even a hawk. I used to think of crying for communicating hunger or some other problem, but crying also could be a way to keep mommy close and thus… to keep baby protected.

There must have been a wide range of traits (some babies cried too much and some too little). The cave babies that did not cry much had a distinct DISadvantage. Cave Mommy wouldn’t know when to feed the baby and they could perhaps leave the baby unattended for periods of time with little complaint. These cave babies would not have survived… and so this wonderful no-crying -gene did not get passed down.

Babies that cried too much also were at a disadvantage. These babies that would not stop crying were probably more likely to at some point also get ignored because there was nothing the Cave Mommy could do. This crying-too-much gene then too would be less likely to get passed on.

So am I spoiling my 6 month old by holding her? I’m just acknowledging her survival instinct which balances just the right amount of fussing/crying to communicate her needs to me. Crying has a real purpose and its better respond to it as nature intended rather than ignoring it.Â