Parent's nightmare - crying baby

Why do babies cry?

The dream: Your baby sleeps through the night after just a few weeks, gurgles happily while you run errands and fusses only when hunger strikes.
The reality: Your baby's favorite playtime is after the 2 a.m. feeding. Crankiness peaks when you're out and about. You had no idea a crying baby could keep the tears flowing for so long.and this tiny thing can make this big noise.
Sound familiar? Most tiny babies cry for between one hour and three hours each day. Yes you read it right one to three hours each day

Very first thing the newborn learns is to cry and as a new parent we don’t know what needs to be done at that time. But always remember,It's perfectly normal. 

Crying is baby's way of communicating for all the needs and ensuring a response from us. Initially it is very hard to find out what is the issue and only method is keep trying all possible causes and eliminates them. But as your baby grows you will start recognizing the patterns and the causes.

A crying baby is trying to tell you something. Your job is to figure out why your baby is crying and what — if anything — you can do about it. 

 In this post I tried to pull together reasons which I faced with Abhimanyu and what else I did to sooth him except crying with him J

I'm hungry

Hunger is one of the most common reasons that your newborn baby will cry. The younger your baby is, the more likely it is that he's hungry. Try offering him some milk even if his last feed doesn't seem very long ago. Sometimes I fed him every hour or so. Always remember it is impossible to overfeed the baby with breast milk. So feed as much as often you can.

I need my nappy changing

Baby may protest if his clothes are too tight or if a wet or soiled nappy is bothering him .if your baby's tender skin is being irritated she will most likely cry. Make sure to change diaper every 4 hours no matter you feel it is empty and if it is soiled change it immediately. Invest in a good diaper and rash cream.

I'm too cold or too hot

We usually tend to think that it is only cold which harms the baby. It is not true. Extreme hot is also not good and they may not like it and cry.

Take care not to overdress your baby, or he may become too hot. He will generally need to wear one more layer of clothing than you to be comfortable. I have seen a baby getting fever due to overdressing and no fan being used.

Always check baby’s temperature by feeling his tummy, not by hand of feet. If his tummy feels too hot, remove a blanket, and if it feels cold, add one.

I need to be held

Baby will need lots of cuddling, physical contact and reassurance to comfort them. So it may be that he just wants to be held. Sing a nice song to him while you hold him. Abhimanyu still loves “Tum hi ho meri ashiqui” by his dad and sleeps nicely.

You may be worried about spoiling your baby if you hold him too much. But during the first few months of his life that's not possible. Always remember they are just out in this huge world of light and noises  and scared so they need lot of reassurance from mom and dad.

 I'm tired and need a rest

Yes babies do get tired and they do need rest even after lots of sleep. In sometime parents start recognizing the sleep signs and cues.

Abhimanyu starts rubbing his eyes when he is sleepy. You just need to pick up the sign and put him to sleep. Another opposite sign is over stimulation, normal language behaving high J. My son starts giggling for no reason and that looks very funny. In this situation they will not be able to settle down. Best way is switch off the light, give some time to calm down and then start sleeping procedure.

Colic

Sometimes you might not be able to figure out what's wrong when your baby cries. Many newborns go through patches of fretfulness and are not easily comforted. The unhappiness can range from a few minutes of hard-to-console crying to several hours at a stretch, an almost constant state of crying that is sometimes called colic. Colic is defined as inconsolable crying for at least three hours a day, for at least three days a week. You need to have lots of courage and patience to deal with a colicky baby.

Many parents find it very difficult to cope with a baby who has colic, and there is no magic cure for colic, but it rarely lasts for more than three months. If you can hold on to the fact that your baby will grow out of it, that may help. If you think your baby has colic, talk to doctor, read internet, it has plenty of information on how to deal with a colicky baby and some easy ways to sooth colicky baby. Always remember colic is not a sickness and it will not go away with some medicine.

So here are some tested methods which can be used to calm the baby:

•             Swaddle

•             Walk around while rocking him or carry him in his favorite position. 

•             Sit with him in a rocking chair or put him in bouncer.

•             Take him out for a walk in his  stroller.

•             Gentle tummy massage will help in releasing gas and in colic.

•             Burp

•             Warm water bath

When to call doctor:

Call the doctor if your baby has difficulty breathing through the crying, or if the crying is accompanied by a fever, vomiting, diarrhoea or constipation. Try to recognize the patterns and if you feel there is something abnormal then please immediately call doctor. Don’t bother about others who say you are a finicky mom/dad who gets worried on every small thing and always remember it’s your baby, your responsibility, your decision.

 So your ultimate goal should be a happy sleepy baby like below :)