WHY DO BABIES CRY?
Babies
cry and you have to live with it. They can't talk
and crying is the only way of communicating. If they
are hungry, cold, wet or just irritated they cant
tell you that so they have to cry and convey that
to you. It is then on you to identify their needs
and difficulties and understand what is wrong. At
first it can be difficult, but a large part of parenting
is trial and error, and you'll soon learn to anticipate
her needs and wipe away her tears. Following are a
list of different reasons why your child cries and
all you have to do is identify the reason.
She Must Be Hungry
Hunger is one reason why babies cry. When babies are
hungry they normally show signs like- she'll fuss,
make noises, and root around for your breast if you
pick her up - once you recognise these signs you'll
get pretty good at feeding her before she starts demanding
for it. Thus first check to see if she's hungry and
then feed her till she herself lets go. Sometimes
a baby will continue to cry even after you start feeding
her; keep going, she'll stop once her stomach is full.
Change Her Diaper
Some babies will let you know right away when they
need their diaper to be changed; others don't mind
since they find it warm and comfortable. So if they
have dirtied their diaper they will cry and let you
know that "Please Mom, change my diaper".
They Need Cuddling
Babies want to be held. They like to be cuddled by
their parents, they like to be close to their parents
and see their faces, listen to their heartbeats, hear
their voices. Babies recognise their mothers by her
smell. After being fed, burped, and changed, many
babies simply want to be held close to their mothers
heart. You may wonder if you'll "spoil" your child
by holding her so much, but during the first few months
of life there's no such thing. Infants will vary a
lot in how much they want to be held. Some demand
a lot of attention, while others can spend long periods
of time sitting calmly by themselves. If your baby
likes the attention, pick her up or keep her next
to you.
She Might Be Too Cold or
Hot
Newborns like to be bundled up and kept warm. So when
your baby feels cold, like when you strip her naked
to change her, she'll let you know that she's not
happy by crying. You'll learn how to quickly change
a diaper and wrap your baby back up to calm her until
the crying stops. Watch out that you don't overdress
her, since she's less likely to complain about being
too warm than about being too cold and won't cry about
it as vigorously.
She Might Be Sick
Sometimes even after you have fed her, held her, changed
her diapers still she keeps on crying and you really
cant think of anything else. In this case just check
her temperature and see if it is normal or not. All
you might find is that she is ill and needs to be
taken to a doctor. The cry of a sick baby tends to
be distinct from the hunger or frustration cry, and
you'll soon learn when your baby doesn't feel good
and is sick.
Sometimes everything is ok but still your baby keeps
on crying and you are at your wits end thinking what
is wrong. When everything else fails, try the tips
below.
-
Play some music or turn on the TV. Babies are
used to hear the sound of their mother heart beat
in the womb and therefore they love to be held
close. So to soothe them you can play some soft
music or turn on the TV set. Just let them hear
the rhythm.
-
Put
them in their pram and give them some motion.
Sometimes just the motion of carrying your baby
around will be enough to calm her. Other times,
it may help to rock her gently in a rocking chair
or swing at the same rate as your heart (around
60 to 100 beats per minute).
-
Rubbing
your baby's back or belly is one of the most soothing
things you can do for her, especially if she's
having gas pains.
-
Let
her suck on something. Sometimes just sucking
on a pacifier will cool down your baby.