Babies cry for many reasons. Most pediatricians don’t tell you that newborns cry for at least 10 minutes a day for no reason, just to get their emotions out until you have crying as a complaint at a doctor’s appointment. Babies must cry for a reason. If you pick them up they will usually stop crying.
Reasons babies cry:
1. Hunger/Thirst – You may be able to differentiate this cry because you will be hearing it the most. The baby will cry for food and let him or her. Do not overfeed your child just because you do not want to listen to their crying. Every time a child cries do not put food in their mouth first.
2. Tired – Babies cry when they get tired. Sometimes they cry to keep themselves awake. If you see their eyebrows or their eyes getting red, their body is ready for sleep even if their mind is not. They may cry.
3. Bored – Babies get bored. Lying around with nothing to do can get boring. Try to entertain your child with mobiles or toys.
4. Pain – If a baby is in pain, he or she will cry. If this is a bad pain, this will be a cry you recognize and cringe from.
5. Attention – Babies cry for attention. They may get bored and just want to see a friendly face. They could want to be picked up. Whatever type of attention they want, if you pick the baby up and he or she stops crying, it may be because he or she wanted attention.
6. Dirty or wet Diaper – A dirty or wet diaper cry will be easy to guess because you will smell or see the results.
7. Hot – If your baby is hot he or she will cry. This may be one of the hardest cries to figure out. If your baby’s body is hot to the touch and you cannot keep the baby from crying any other way, take the child’s clothes off.
8. Cold – If your baby is cold he or she will cry. This is another hard cry to figure out. If your baby’s skin is cold to the touch then, try to put heavier clothing on him or her. If he or she is still crying, then keep checking for other causes.
9. Sick – If a baby is sick he or she will be fussy. This is a frustrating time for you and baby. If you cannot keep your child from crying, but he or she does not have a fever, call your pediatrician anyway. Sometimes baby can be sick without a fever. He or she may need medication.
10. Want a pacifier or other favorite item that is out of their grasp – If baby has toys and they are out of reach, he or she may cry until someone gives them their toy. You may want to let them try to reach for their toy. You do not want them to get to the point of becoming frustrated, hand them the toy if they cannot reach it.
11. Frustration – Babies have frustration. They will cry if they are frustrated. Hopefully your baby will always be happy, but that does not always happen. Remember when they are crying and you are frustrated that your little baby is frustrated too.
Babies don’t have any way of communicating except for crying. They will let you know what they want with different cries. Sometimes you can tell which cry it is, sometimes you cannot. If you cannot differentiate the cries, baby will keep crying until you get it right.
Most parents get frustrated over this. Just remember, baby is frustrated too. He or she has no way of telling you what they want and you keep giving them stuff they don’t want. That makes them angry.
