Tune In to Your Baby's Cries

Vicki Jones of Indio, CA, can always tell which one of her triplets is crying, even through a monitor.


To the untrained ear, all baby wails sound pretty much alike. But they aren't: Slight differences in babies' facial structures, vocal cords, and breathing patterns lead to slightly different cries. Even identical multiples don't sound exactly the same, says James Green, Ph.D., a developmental psychologist at the University of Connecticut in Storrs.


Around 80 percent of moms can pick their baby's cry out of a crowd, Green discovered through studying mothers of 1-month-olds.


Don't think you could do it? That's okay: What matters more is how you respond!