Reasons Babies Cry

One of the most natural things babies do is cry. In most cases, babies come right into the world crying. And, if they don’t, the doctor slaps them on the foot or the bottom to start them crying. Of course, this is quickly followed by eighteen years of trying to get them to stop crying. If you’re going crazy from the baby’s crying, however, take heart. This stage doesn’t last forever. Before you know it, it’ll be behind you and you’ll even find yourself missing those times when it seemed like only your comforting touch could help soothe your fussy baby.

Of course, babies cry for a number of reasons. Initially, they cry because it is their only means of communication. They cry to tell us they are hungry (every two to four hours for the first three months), they cry to tell us they are cold, or that they are too warm, or that they are uncomfortable. They cry to tell us they want to be held, or that they’re scared, or just don’t want to be alone.

Additionally, babies often cry when they are tired. Often, the only way to make the crying stop is to rock them to sleep. Additionally, they may cry if they are over stimulated. Or, conversely, they may cry if they are bored.

We should not become overly concerned when our babies cry. It’s perfectly normal. Of course, we all want to do everything necessary to take care of baby’s needs. When baby cries, we should go through the checklist. This includes making sure that baby has been fed recently, burped, and is clean and dry. Baby should be warm enough without being too warm. Generally speaking, this means your baby should have on about the same amount of layers and thickness of clothing as you have on. With some babies, one extra layer helps them feel warmer and more comfortable. More than that, however, is likely to make them feel too warm, ending in more fussiness.

Of course, these are only a few of the reasons babies cry. If your baby regularly cries non stop for more than three hours at a time, he may have colic. Check with your doctor to rule out anything more serious, of course. If he does have colic, really the only thing you can do is try to soothe him and do your best to get some rest when the baby does finally nod off to sleep.

In general, though, don’t be alarmed by baby crying. It’s just her way of communicating her needs. Before long, most parents can even notice a difference between different cries baby makes, quickly figuring out whether baby is hungry, tired, not feeling well, or just cranky.