Oh! Which parent isn’t enthralled by the first cry of their baby in this world? It is a sign that it has arrived and is hale and hearty. However, when the same crying goes on night after night, it leads to sleepless and frustrated parents. Parents learn to read their baby with time. However, are you desperately trying to meet the needs of your baby but it just isn’t cutting you any slack? Let’s help you understand why your baby is crying and then work on ways to soothe it.
- Hunger
- Colic
- Teething
- Need to burp
- Dirty diaper
- Sleepiness
1. Hunger
Your bedroom can go straight from pin-drop silence to a screaming party if you haven’t fed your baby in a while. Here are the characteristics that will help you in identifying whether your baby is “hangry” or not –
- Rhythmic and repetitive crying
- Short and low-pitched crying
- Crying with a “neh” sound
2. Colic
Firstly, you don’t need to blame yourself for this. The baby might be perfectly comfortable but has adopted this way of dealing with life during its early days. Doctors define colic as a situation where an infant cries for more than three hours in a day for more than three days in a week and more than three days in a row. Such babies can be pretty hard to console, but you can relax as colic is short-lived.
3. Teething
If your baby is around four months of age and there is suddenly an upsurge in its crying, it might be due to teething. Look out for signs like excessive drooling and gnawing at everything within reach. Here is how you can calm down a teething baby –
- Using a pacifier – Ninio has one of the best baby pacifiers. They are petite and can fit in your baby’s mouth no matter what its age is. If you are worried about cleaning, we have your back there as well. You can disassemble the pacifier entirely and clean it thoroughly. Moreover, your baby will fall in love with its attractive colour. Try it out for yourself!
- Letting your baby suck on your finger or thumb
- Massaging the gums until your finger makes a squeaky sound
- Chewing on frozen or refrigerated teethers, washcloths or cotton bibs
You should avoid over-the-counter products like Anbesol or Orajel at all costs as they can numb the back of your baby’s throat and can be detrimental to the ability of your baby to swallow.
4. Need to burp
If your baby is crying right after feeding, it is a tell-tale sign that it needs to burp. Though everyone makes their baby burp after feeding, some babies might need to burp after sucking on a pacifier, experiencing hiccups or crying. Often, patting your baby on the back does the trick. If it doesn’t, follow these steps for quick relief –
- Hold your baby over your left shoulder and let its left arm hang on your shoulder.
- Next, start at its hips and move up its left side and back slowly rubbing in circles throughout.
- Repeat the process twice or thrice and voila!
5. Dirty diaper
Some babies can sit in a dirty diaper without breaking a sweat, while some start crying within seconds. You can either sneak a peek and check its diaper or perform a “sniff test”. Some diaper brands also come with a wetness indicator and change their colour when they get dirty. They will make the task effortless for you, and you wouldn’t need to undress your baby every time it cries to check if its diaper is dirty or not.
6. Sleepiness
We understand that being a parent can be quite exhausting and you may doze off the moment you hit your mattress, but the same doesn’t necessarily apply to your child. New-borns establish a circadian rhythm by four months of age, not before that. Moreover, a crying baby cannot soothe itself, so the onus is on the parents.
Here are some ideas –
- Swaddling your new-born
- Your baby may also respond well to a rocking motion.
- Sing a lullaby and see if it can help your tiny tot sleep blissfully.
- This one is interesting – try the sound of a vacuum.
Though it might sound tempting to cut down the baby’s sleeping time in the afternoon to make it sleep better at night, it isn’t going to work. Your baby’s hormones will give it a second wind and will make it even more of a hassle to sleep at night. Sleepy babies should be allowed to sleep.
Do you have any other suggestions that can help other parents facing the same predicament? If yes, go ahead and share it with us. Ninio believes in a community that builds each other up at every stage.