Crying Baby - What Does He Want?

Flushed with excitement upon bringing home your newborn baby soon turns to anxiety and stress when your baby doesn’t stop crying. Why do babies cry and what are you supposed to do about it?

Babies’ cries are at a certain pitch. They are designed to draw your attention and raise your blood pressure. Sometimes they seem to cry for no other reason than to deprive your already exhausted body of much needed sleep. Here we will examine why babies cry and what you are supposed to do with a crying baby.

Babies cry on average for 1 to 2 hours per day. The poor little mites have no other method of communication at this early stage. Therefore a crying baby does not mean you have done something wrong or are a bad mother. As the bond between mother and baby grows you will learn to recognise the different pitches of his cry and his body language will give you indications of why he is crying. Until you are able to recognise the different signs it is best to work your way through a list of possible reasons for his screaming.

Is he hungry? He may have had his last feed less than an hour ago but his needs change on a daily basis. Like adults, babies sometimes feel hungrier than at other times. Offer him some milk and see where you go from there.

Does his nappy need changing Imagine if you had to sleep in a wet or worse nappy, wouldn’t you want to moan about it? A quick change may resolve the issue.

Has he got wind? If he was laid down too quickly after his feed, he may have trapped wind and we all know how uncomfortable that is. Hold him upright and give his back a gentle rub or pat and that may solve the problem.

Is he lonely or scared? Your baby has been kept warm and safe inside you for 9 months. He has been in darkness in a very warm and soothing place. How does this compare to his nursery? He has become used to the shhhing noises (or white noise) in your womb and the restricted space. Cuddling your baby helps to recreate the restricted space by holding him in your arms. Swaddling also achieves this. You may want to try swaddling your baby before putting him down to sleep. Ensuring the nursery is not deadly silent will also help to reassure him. You can either sit with him and make gentle shhhing noises or alternatively you can buy cd’s of white noise or womb noise to help him settle.

Is he too hot or cold? This is especially important in younger babies. Ideally the temperature in the nursery should be around 20 degrees Celsius.

Is he bored and awake? If he is wide-awake it is likely he will need something to entertain him. This could be a mobile placed above his cot or it could just mean he needs someone to stimulate him. Try talking to him and carrying him around with you for a while.

As you go through this learning process you will begin to understand the different pitches of crying associated with your baby. You will learn that different pitches mean different things and you will be able to respond to him accordingly. Things can only get easier from now on.