Newborn babies often cry for various reasons and the parents get frustrated for failing to control the baby’s tears. Every new parent can relate to this situation. If you are pregnant or a new mom, then these tips can help you stay relaxed and make decisions accordingly to avoid you and your baby getting frustrated. Of course, if you are a new father, you can also read the techniques, as these may help you calm your baby without much help from your wife. You know, she must be going through so many. 

5 Reasons why babies cry

First of all, why do babies cry? This is the question that keeps you searching for so many solutions, sometimes useful. But at most times, due to confusion and an urge to calm the baby, we go with others’ advice. This may temporarily help, but what if the same problem persists? To find a simple solution, first, you should find out the cause of the crying, before trying to pacify the baby. Read more to know the reasons why babies cry and learn the calm a-crying baby techniques. 

  • Hunger

Hunger is the foremost reason for any baby to cry. Breastfeed your baby often during the first three months of life, as they might need a lot of energy for growth. A growth spurt, a short period when your child encounters quick physical growth in both height and weight, often starts in the first two or three weeks after a baby is born.

  • Sleepiness

Most babies cry when they feel sleepy. This is because they might not be able to soothe themselves. As parents, you can soothe your baby either using a swaddle or playing a lullaby. Children often love rhythmic sounds and you can use them to settle your child. 

Myth vs fact:

Some parents are advised not to make their children sleep during the day, thinking that it would make them sleep for hours at night – This is a myth. The fact is, when your baby feels sleepy in the afternoon, let the child have a nap for some time. Instead, if you didn’t allow your child to sleep, it will make the baby feel exhausted and struggle to sleep at night. Over-exhaustion will also lead to crying in this situation.

  • Gas

For new mothers, your doctors may suggest taking more healthy food, especially a lot of proteins. This will boost the nutritional benefits of your child during breastfeeding. Also, it may cause some tummy troubles for your growing baby. 

If your baby is arching back or bumping their legs, understand that these are the signs of gas problems. 

Dr. Preeti Parikh, MD, a pediatrician at Pediatrics of New York in New York City, suggests some of the ways to calm a crying baby techniques. 

“Hold baby on the left side or on their stomach to help with digestion.” This technique will help the baby to pass the gas out easily. Also, she suggested, “If a baby is gassy, bicycle their legs and push them up to the chest to help relieve the gas.” 

  • It’s burp time

Is your baby crying after every breastfeeding? Then, it indicates that the child needs to be burped. During breastfeeding, the baby might have swallowed some air. Burping will help them release it. 

Do not put your baby into bed, immediately after you breastfeed. Ensure you make the child burp. Hold the baby over your shoulder and make the child burp by patting gently on his/her back.

  • Colic

The last but the most significant to be addressed is colic—a frequent, prolonged, and intense crying of a newborn. Some babies are colic from birth, they used to be fussy and cry in a louder voice for hours per day on a routine basis. This indicates colic. The colic condition often occurs for various reasons within the first six weeks and may last up to six months. Visit your doctor if you believe your baby is experiencing colic issues. 

Bottom Line

Other than the above significant factors, there are also some other reasons such as crying to grab attention, dirty diapers, due to any illness, and teething. This will happen rarely and go away after some time. Hope the blog helps you find out the reasons why babies cry and the ways to make a baby stop crying.