Do distracting activities increase tolerance for an infant cry?

Six college students sat in a quiet room. A recording of a crying baby played through speakers. The researchers timed how long each student stayed in their seat.

In some sessions the students had nothing to do. In other sessions they could color, play a phone game, or work a puzzle. The team compared how long people lasted with and without the fun options.

Half of the students stuck it out longer when they had something fun to do. The other half left just as quickly. The help was real but small and not for everyone.

No one escaped the cry completely. The activities only bought a few extra minutes.

Sharp et al. (2010) showed that adults judge autism baby cries as more upsetting than typical cries. Glodowski’s team used a standard cry, so the distraction trick might work even less with the sharper autism sound.

Dwyer et al. (2023) found that autistic toddlers’ brains adapt to sound more slowly. If the listener already struggles to tune out noise, adding a puzzle may not help.

Powell et al. (1968) proved you can cut tantrums by changing the task, not the child. Glodowski extends this idea: change the activity, not the cry, to buy tolerance.

You can’t stop a baby from crying, but you can give caregivers a quick tool. Hand mom a simple game or chore during long bouts. It may help her stay calm a little longer, especially if the cry is typical and not the high-pitch type seen in autism. Test it first—if it doesn’t help, drop it and try ear defenders or a short break instead.