Help Your Crying Baby
Babies cry. Sometimes they cry a lot. Crying is the only way a baby can tell you what they need. They're not crying to be disobedient. In fact young babies are too immature to understand adult expectations. For instance, if your baby is crying and you tell them to stop and they continue to cry it's not because they're defying you. They are simply too young to understand your words. When a baby is crying they are sending you a message that they are either hungry, sleepy, need a diaper changed, or they're just being a baby.
A Baby Cries for Many Reasons
I cry because there is something I want to tell you.
Sometimes I cry to tell you:
- I am hungry.
- I have a gas pain.
- I am too cold or I am too hot.
- something scared me.
- I am sick or I hurt.
- I am bored or I am lonely.
- there is too much noise.
- I am being held by too many different people.
- my diaper is wet and I need to be changed.
- I am tired. Sometimes I cry when
I think you are feeling upset or grumpy. Sometimes I am just fussy because:
- I don't know how to settle down.
- I am in a bad mood.
You may feel bad, angry, helpless, or worried if you don't know why I am crying, how to comfort me, or how to keep me from crying so much. Help me to be happy most of the time.
Each baby is different.
Get to know me and what I need. Learn that I have different cries that mean different things. One cry means, I want to eat. Another means I want to do something else. By thinking about what I need, you can help me stay happy.
Knowing what I don't like can help to prevent me from being fussy.
- Be sure to change my diaper if I am wet or dirty. Like most babies, I will need to be changed at least every 3 hours when I am awake.
- Make sure I am not too hot or too cold.
- Don't feed me more milk than I need. I will tell you when I have had enough.
- Don't feed me cereal or solid food without talking to my doctor first.
- Don't leave me in an infant seat too long. I like to do many activities. I may fuss to tell you that I want to do something else.
- I need to suck.
- Let me suck as much as I want to, either on a pacifier or my fingers.
- Try different pacifiers until I find one that I like.
- I need to learn that I belong to my parents.
- You can't spoil me at this age. When I learn that you will help me, I will cry less.
- Spend as much time with me as you can when I am awake.
- Touch, hold, hug, cuddle, and love me.
- Talk to me.
- Walk or rock me.
- Come to me as soon as you can when I cry.
As a young baby, I need lots of sleep and quiet time.
- Let me sleep a lot if I want to.
- Place me in a quiet place. I don't like a lot of noise and I don't need a lot of visitors.
As I get older, I will want to do more things with you.
- Play with me and talk with me.
- I will tell you when I am tired of doing something by fussing or turning my head away.
I like a routine. Try to do things the same way and at the same time as much as possible.
Try to find out why I am crying. Look to see if I:
- am wet or have a dirty diaper.
- am too hot or too cold.
- am hungry.
- am too full.
- need to burp.
- have a stomachache.
- am tired.
- could be upset by something you ate if you are breastfeeding. If you are breastfeeding, avoid drinking coffee, tea, or cola and avoid eating spicy foods and foods that cause gas.
Other possibilities:
- Is there too much going on?
- Is there too much noise in the room?
- Are there too many people holding or touching me?
- Are people smoking around me?
- Am I sick?
- Do I have a fever?
- Am I vomiting?
- Have I had a bowel movement in a while?
- Do I have loose bowels or diarrhea?
- Do I have diaper rash or some other rash?
- Do I have a cold or runny nose?
- Am I pulling on my ears? This may be a clue that I have an ear infection.
- If I have any of these problems, you can check with my doctor to see if I am sick.
To help me stop crying:
- pick me up and hold me.
- snuggle or wrap me in a blanket.
- talk or sing to me.
- play soft music.
- lower the lights.
- give me something to look at or something to play with.
- give me a pacifier.
- sit with me in a rocking chair.
- walk or dance with me.
- take me for a ride in the car or in the stroller.
If nothing works and I get on your nerves: put me in a safe place. Let me cry alone for 15 minutes. Sometimes I get overtired and need a chance to settle down. Ask someone to come over and care for me while you take a break from me.
Never Shake Me!
No matter how upset or angry you feel, do not shake me. Shaking me can cause brain damage or even death.
I will outgrow this constant crying. Holding and cuddling me tells me that you love me and that you want me to feel better.
More information:
http://www.preventchildabusenc.org/just_for_families/links_for_families/