Crying Babys
A normal, healthy baby will sometimes cry for one of the following reasons : hungry, too hot, too cold, wet/dirty nappy ( diaper ) or beat. There are more cries for feeling ill and teething but these aren’t as fertile in a newly born and are way more easily recognisable with other symptoms. The most typical cry is for feeding, routinely a waaah, waaah that increases in volume and distress and can only be quietened by food. It is really easy to puzzle this cry with the one for lassitude or overtiredness and fairly often a mum will perhaps resort to feeding rather than getting the baby to sleep, which only increases you baby’s suffering. If a correct feeding routine has been settled then you can normally tell between the 2 ; also check for things like rooting, where the baby curls it’s tongue hunting for food – this is a sure sign of hunger. When a baby is beat they may thrash their head and rub their eyes.
Why do babies cry? Your baby is crying to get your interest – this is the only real way that a baby can communicate with you. What you’ve got to do is decode their cries and you may then be 1/2 way to calming their cries.
During the day on which you can try placing your baby next to household objects that make white noise – such as a tumbler dryer or washing machine. White noise is claimed to seem like the body sounds heard in the womb and again, is a comfort for a troubled kid. If your baby cries when you are not near it try this tip ; keep an old towel near you ( or sleep with it ) and then lay it in your baby’s cot before placing them on it. The towel will have picked up your scent and will reassure your baby that you are near – this does work, I used it on both of my children.
If your baby is crying for any of these reasons then the cause is just cured. If they are crying for other reasons, particularly teething, then there are more things that you can do that will help calm them. Never get hung up about picking up your crying baby ; very often a baby needs to be comforted, no matter what many ‘experts’ say. If you place them on your shoulder and gently rock backwards and forwards this mimics the feeling that they would have had in the womb of their mum walking. A light, regular pat on the back at the same time recalls the sound of their ma’s heart beat. Both of these things will quiet your baby quickly and without much fuss – if you want an extra boost, gently blow on your child’s neck ; this will calm both of you. Remember, if your baby has awoken, the less stimulus they get, the better, so this is an ideal way of easing them back to sleep.
So when your baby cries the smartest thing to do is think before reacting. Take a step backwards and see if you can understand what they are enlightening you, instead of jumping in with food or a nappy. Most times you can stop your baby crying before it reaches a crescendo. {However ,} all babies are different ; some will cry for no clear reason and you will not be able to stop them. If you end up becoming tense with a crying child put them down somewhere safe ( like the cot ) and step away from them till you are calmer. Better that you let them cry for 1 or 2 minutes while you regain your cool. And if you are at all unhappy then seek medical help – this is most important if your child doesn’t cry but becomes lethargic and floppy.
Crying is part and parcel of parenthood and all babies differ in the degree of crying and how swiftly they may calm. Never expect miracles or quick solutions ; you’ve got to learn how to communicate with them and work with them.