Crying Baby: What To Do When Your Newborn Cries

When your precious newborn that is wearing one of the most adorable baby clothes cannot stop crying and you are trying to soothe him or her the best way you can – it is a frustrating experience. You try feeding him or her, rocking the baby, or holding the baby and nothing works. There are times when babies do need to cry for the sake of exercising their lungs as it is a necessary part of their development. There is nothing that you can do to soothe them for that. In that case, it really is the best approach for them to cry it out in their crib or bassinet because that is what they really do need to do. However, let’s look over the variety of reasons that babies cry and what you can do to respond.

The Baby Is Hungry

This is the obvious reason for a baby to cry. The younger the baby is, the more often they will be hungry as their stomachs are tiny and can only hold so much in, and they get hungry again fast. That is why they cry often. If your baby is crying out of hunger, there usually are other signs that support that which is lip-smacking and moving a hand to the mouth. 

They Want To Suck Something

Babies that cry may only want to suck on something. If you offer them a bottle or if you try to nurse them but they move away from it, then that means they are not hungry. If you give them a pacifier and they are quieted down, then that is all they wanted. Sometimes babies will cry just for the purpose of wanting something to suck on. And it happens a lot because sucking is soothing to them as they did a lot of that in the womb. 

They Feel Lonely

Babies do want company and the one thing that they can only do to let you know that they want some company is that they cry because that is the only way they are able to communicate. If you try feeding your baby, and the baby resists, and if you try to give your baby a pacifier and spits it out after, try holding your baby against the chest. If the infant quiets down after, then that is exactly why the baby was crying. He or she was lonely and wanted to be held.

They Are Tired

If you have a crying baby and you have tried to hold him or her but it doesn’t help, you have tried to feed the infant but the baby is not interested, and you gave the baby a pacifier but again, he or she wasn’t interested – then there is another reason that the baby is crying. He or she is simply tired. Again, the baby has no idea how to communicate this fact and will cry when or he or she is tired. And the best thing that you can do is rock your him or her and then put your baby into the crib and bassinet. If he or she falls asleep quickly, then that is why the baby was crying in the first place. Newborns need over 16 hours of sleep a day because they are growing. It is just in intervals as they need to be fed, changed, and need company often in between. 

They Are Wet Or Have A Soiled Diaper

One of the first things that many parents do when their baby begins to cry is to check their diaper, however, sometimes they can urinate often and if it was dry a few minutes ago, it can be wet at any time. A wet, or a soiled diaper is uncomfortable to sit in for a prolonged period of time and that will most definitely cause the baby to cry! 

They Want To Be Swaddled

Newborns feel the most secure when they are swaddled and as a result, if they are not, they will cry. If you try feeding and comforting your infant in other ways but it doesn’t work, then all your baby may want is swaddling. This will bring them the comfort they need and bring them back to those comfort memories as well of being in the womb as they were in that position for 9 months or so. 

They Are Hot Or Cold

Babies who are not comfortable temperature-wise will cry. If you are feeling cold, then there is a good chance that your baby is as well. And the rule of thumb is to place one extra layer on the baby if the baby is wearing clothing that would be comparable to what you are wearing. That means if your baby is wearing those cute baby onesie sayings clothes that have the same thickness as your clothing and the baby seems cold – then put a light jacket on. If the baby is warm, then remove a layer. You don’t want your baby to become overheated.  

Never neglect a high temperature as it could be a sign of something else at play. For peace of mind it is always worth getting it checked out. Even when im travelling I always make a point of knowing where the  pediatric urgent care near me is located.

They Want To Get Moving

Often babies cry because they hate being still and want motion. This means they will want to be rocked or they will want to be taken out on a stroll. If the baby quiets down after getting some movement, then that was the reason that he or she was crying. 

Remember again that the only ways that babies can ever communicate their needs are by crying. Yes, it is distressful to parents because it involves a lot of guesswork and there is the worry that the baby is sick. And that is a reason that the baby is crying as well but that is the last thing to be assumed. Eventually, you will get the reason right as far as why the baby is crying. And often what happens is that over time a baby will develop their own unique cries for their own different needs which will eliminate a lot of stress. That is because when the baby develops their own cries for different things, the parents will know! 

Note: This is a collaborative post