Why does a child cry and what to do about it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Never rock your baby too much!

The average child cries Why Baby Cries 2-3 hours a day. And there is always a reason for crying. Most often they are completely clear: a wet diaper, an approaching feeding time, or, for example, the fright caused by a new toy over the cradle. But sometimes baby tears are a way to complain to parents about less obvious discomfort.

Remember: a child never cries just like that. Therefore, it is important to figure out what worries him.

When you need to see a doctor urgently if your baby is crying

Call your pediatrician right away if the crying baby:

• cries for more than two hours;
• has a temperature above 38 ℃;
• refuses to eat and drink or vomits;
• does not urinate or has traces of blood in the stool;
• does not respond to attempts to calm him down.

This is how various diseases can manifest themselves - from flu and otitis media to concussion or digestive disorders. It is important to diagnose them on time.

If there are no dangerous symptoms, it is worth looking for the reasons for crying in other, quite ordinary things Crying in infancy.

When crying can be dealt with on your own

1. The child is hungry

Even if you feed your baby by the hour and are absolutely sure that the time for the next feeding has not come yet. The fact is that babies grow in leaps and bounds. And when the next growth spurt occurs, the child needs more food.

What to do

When you hear crying, take your baby in your arms first and try to offer him a breast or a bottle.

2. He's scared

Maybe there was a loud extraneous sound outside the window. Or the door slammed. Or perhaps the baby simply lost sight of his mother. Be that as it may, even tiny children can experience fear and anxiety, and crying is the most accessible way for them to manifest this.

What to do

Take the baby in your arms and, as in the previous paragraph, offer him a bottle or breast. Another option is a dummy: most babies just take it in their mouth to calm down.

3. He is hot or cold

Parents often tend to wrap up the baby. This habit was given to us by evolution: for tens of millennia, keeping warm has been the key to survival. But there is another extreme: mothers and fathers arrange the child "hardening", leaving him naked in a cool room. Since there is not enough fat in the newborn's body, the baby reacts to the cold by crying.

What to do

Make sure your child is not cold or overheated. Check if its feet and hands are cold. Whether his hair is damp or reddened (these are signs that the baby is hot). If necessary, throw a blanket over the crumbs or, conversely, remove excess clothing.

4. The child is physically uncomfortable

A full diaper is just one of the reasons a baby may feel uncomfortable. It happens that other things also cause discomfort. Perhaps the delicate skin was rubbed by the too tight elastic of the diaper and now this place hurts. Or, for example, a thread has gotten between the toes, "packed" in socks, which interferes.

What to do

Check your skin for redness, rashes, scratches. Does the baby's clothes crush? In the end, is he in a comfortable position. The most unexpected things can be the cause of crying: maybe because of an unsuccessfully turned head, the baby pinched his earlobe. In general, make sure there is no physical reason for the discomfort.

5. He wants to be wrapped up

Or vice versa - to get rid of unnecessarily tight swaddling.

What to do

Check this assumption: swaddle the baby or, on the contrary, undress him. Perhaps the crying will stop.

6. He's tired

Unlike adults, overworked children tend to become fussy and irritable rather than falling asleep.

What to do

Try to put your child to sleep. One of the most effective ways to do this is by swaddling. In a diaper that restricts movement, the baby feels like in a cramped womb. It calms him down. Another option is vibration. Go for a walk, putting the baby in the stroller and shaking it. Or go for a drive with your heir or heiress in the infant car seat.

7. The child is stressed

Babies have a weak nervous system, so external stimuli - for example, too bright lights and music in the mall or screaming children in the playground - can cause discomfort and crying.

What to do

Track how your baby reacts to the hustle and bustle, noise, light around. You will quickly understand whether he likes it or, on the contrary, annoys him. If the baby is sensitive, try to reduce the time spent in noisy locations.

8. His tummy hurts

This is a common Crying in Infancy problem faced by many babies between the ages of 3 weeks and 3 months. Various factors can cause pain:

• swallowed during feeding and not escaping air;
• heartburn;
• colic;
• allergy.

What to do

After feeding, do not forget to keep the baby upright (in a column) - this will help him to regurgitate the swallowed air. If you are bottle feeding, use a slow flow teat.

Colic Colic and crying - self-care is not related to food intake. Their causes are not yet sufficiently understood, but nevertheless they are considered a normal part of development and pass on their own by 3-4 months. To help the baby, lay it on the tummy more often, and also do a gentle clockwise tummy massage.

If, despite your efforts, the baby continues to cry often, be sure to talk it over with the pediatrician. Perhaps he will offer to take tests to make sure that there is no allergy to the components of breast milk (formula) or to exclude other digestive disorders.

9. He wants to sleep next to his mom

By 6-9 months, babies begin to recognize themselves as separate beings. But even as they get older, they still sometimes want to feel in their mother's arms and may refuse to fall asleep if their mother does not lie down next to them.

What to do

The approaches here differ. So, American pediatricians believe that you should not lie next to the child or take him on the arms at the first cry. It is worth waiting for a while and then letting the baby cry for longer before coming to him. This is supposed to train children's composure.

However, if you have the time and opportunity, give the baby as much attention as he wants. But don't do it by overstepping your own fatigue and other needs. The more tired the parent is, the less he cares for the baby.

How you can calm your child

Pediatricians recommend several general methods:

• Play soft, gentle music in the nursery. Perhaps a white noise generator can help you.
• Talk to your baby. The sound of a mother's or father's voice soothes and gives the baby a sense of security.
• Help the baby change position - he may be uncomfortable.
• Take your baby in your arms and press it to your chest. The mother's heartbeat, the smell of her skin, breathing, tight hugs - all this reminds the baby of that serene time when he was in his tummy.

How not to calm down a child

Do not shake him in any way, even if he does not want to calm down in any way, and you are very annoyed. Excessive shaking can lead to the so-called Abusive Head Trauma: A New Name for Shaken Baby Syndrome.

Babies have weak neck muscles that are not yet able to fully support their disproportionately large heads. Shaking the head violently makes the head move back and forth, and this can lead to serious traumatic brain injury. It is the most common cause of traumatic death in children under 2 years of age. Developmental delays, mental retardation, seizures, or blindness can also be a consequence.