"John W." wrote:

> There was a guy in Oakland that was convicted of child abuse for taping
> his baby's mouth shut. I suppose it's slightly better than beating
> (though the child could have died fairly easily), which he didn't do,
> and only someone who has had to listen to a baby cry for what seems an
> eternity can understand why he did it.

No I don't.

Here's what I would do in that situation (i.e. NOTHING such as extended
feeding, rocking, singing or holding can stop it) though it might also be
against the law or considered abuse:

I'd get the baby its own bedroom separate from mine, and if there were no
obvious reason for why it persisted in crying and the doctor had no
solution, I'd let the baby cry itself to sleep in the hopes that it is
merely seeking excessive attention or affection and will grow out of it.

> On a related note, a couple in Virginia was just charged with child
> endangerment for letting their young child (didn't catch the age; seemed
> like a late toddler or tweenie) play with a gun that he pulled out of
> the trunk of their car....