Special Circumstances That Might Require Professional Help
Physical, mental, or emotional challenges at birth, or soon after, are often traumatic to an infant and can cause your babys nervous system to get stuck. A nervous system that is stuck will probably have difficulty with regulation, which means the baby will have a hard time settling down.
Special or traumatic circumstances that might cause problems include:
- Premature birth.
Will Things Get Better
Any crying can be tough to cope with. The good news is that as your baby becomes more familiar with the world around them, they often start to feel more comfortable and less distressed. Their digestive system also begins to mature, which can help.
When your baby is six to eight weeks old you might notice they start to cry a little less. In fact, babies aged 10 to 12 weeks tend to cry on average for around an hour per day. It still sounds a lot, but in fact this is about half the amount they cried as newborns up until the six week mark .
Plus, after the first few weeks you know your baby better and are able to settle them more easily. This can reduce their crying and crucially allow you to cope more easily with it.
Katie*, a mum of two, shared her experience of excessive crying with her second baby:
Max was so chilled out for the first two weeks. We even booked a last minute holiday thinking how easy it would be.
I spent every evening on that holiday pacing round the hotel with him screaming. We tried reflux medication, cranial osteopathy, you name it…but he just gradually calmed down given time.
Around 12 weeks was the real turning point for us and now those nights of crying are a distant memory thankfully.
Coping With A Crying Colicky Or Unresponsive Baby
You already know that no two babies are alike, but this reality may still hit you hard when you hear other parents talking about how easy their babies are or how their newborn sleeps peacefully through the night. Try to avoid comparisons and specific expectations, as they can create negative feelingsespecially if you have a very challenging baby. Give yourself a break if you are having feelings you didnt expect. It may take a bit of time to get in sync with your baby, but the extra work will be worth it!
For stressful situationswhen your baby wont stop crying or wont respond to you, and when you are feeling frustrated, tired, and angryyou need to develop some strategies for taking care of yourself. When youre calm and centered, youll be better able to figure out whats going on with your child and soothe his or her cries.
Recognize your limits. Pay attention to internal warning signs when you are feeling overwhelmed. The sooner you spot your personal limits, the easier it is to plan aheadfor extra help, a break, an excursion outside, or a quick pep talk from a friend or loved one. These small steps to prepare will help you get in the best frame of mind to care for your baby.
Remember that time is on your side. For most babies, crying peaks at six weeks and then gradually eases off. There is an end to the crying on the horizon! You may have to put in a little extra work right now and be very patient, but things will get better.
Need urgent help? .
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Is Your Baby Unresponsive Or Indifferent
Most babies use crying to communicate and they will continue to cry or show that they are upset until a parent or caregiver responds to their needs. Other babies, instead of crying, become upset and then tune out and fail to show any emotion. If you think about it, you probably know more than one adult who acts this way when faced with difficulty. An unresponsive baby might seem like an easy baby, because they may be quiet and agreeable. But a baby that doesnt respond to you, the environment, and sensory influences needs help. Call your pediatrician right away.
NEVER NEVER shake a baby
Shaken Baby Syndrome occurs when a baby is shaken. The blood vessels in a babys head cannot tolerate the impact of shaking and can break.
- The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome estimates that there are about 1,300 reported cases each year in the U.S.
- Shaking is the leading cause of child abuse deaths and can also result in brain damage, mental retardation, seizures, or blindness.
- Shaking usually happens when parents or caregivers become frustrated or angry when they are not able to stop the baby from crying.
- Shaken baby syndrome is 100% preventable.
Calming A Crying Baby: Why Babies Cry At Night
New parents often wish they had a magic baby cry decoderespecially to figure out why babies cry at night. Learn about the different causes of crying, and get tips on how to stop a crying baby today.
Newborns cry a lotbut they sleep even more. Most newborns sleep about eight to nine hours during the day and another eight hours at night, though not all at once. Your baby probably wont sleep through the night until shes at least three months old. Some babies dont sleep through the night until six months or older. So it stands to reason that lots of crying starts up when you thought she was sleeping peacefullyor when you’re trying to sleep.
Crying is your babys primary way of sending you a message. Babies cry at night to signal that they are in need of your help. Whats she trying to tell you when she wakes up wailing or cries in her sleep? Here are the main reasons why babies cry at night, and what to try when you’re wondering how to stop a crying baby.
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In Babies Over 3 Months
Newborn crying has a physiological basis, such as hunger, and infants this young rely on a parent to soothe them, explains Patti Ideran, OTR/L CEIM, a pediatric occupational therapist who focuses on treating infants with colic, crying, and sleeping or feeding difficulties.
Babies older than about 3 or 4 months of age have likely mastered self-soothing, by using a thumb, fist, or pacifier. But that doesnt mean they dont have their vocal moments. They may be frustrated, sad, angry, or have and use crying as a way to communicate those feelings.
Teething pain is also a big reason for crying in older babies. Most babies sprout a first tooth between 6 and 12 months. In addition to fussiness and crying, your babys gums may be swollen and tender, and they may drool more than usual.
To relieve the discomfort of teething, offer your baby a clean frozen or wet washcloth or a solid teething ring. If the crying continues, talk to your pediatrician about giving an appropriate dose of acetaminophen . You can also give ibuprofen if your baby is older than 6 months.
Here are the things to try if you have an inconsolable little one:
How To Handle A Crying Baby
The babys cry can be frustrating, upsetting, and overwhelming. After some investigation and common sense, you may be able to figure out how to handle your crying baby. No one knows the baby better than the parents. It may take some time to calm down the baby. Place your baby in a safe place or hold your baby for a while. The following tips might help:
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How Much A Newborn Baby Eats Day By Day
Congratulations on your little girl! I dont think you need to worry and let me tell you why and what to look for.
During the first few days after being born, a newborn baby really eats very little during each feeding. Studies have shown that during the first few days outside the womb a newborn baby eats roughly this much:
- During day 1, a baby eats around 1 tablespoon per feeding
- Day 2, slightly more,
- Day 4, 3 tablespoons and
- Day 5, 4 tablespoons, or more.
So as you can see, a newborn baby drinks very little at each feeding in the beginning, but the amount tends to increase relatively quickly.
Newborn babies often also sleep very much and dont cry much at all. (You can check this baby sleep schedule per month.
Some newborn babies do cry, but certainly not all. Premature babies often dont cry at all they cant in the beginning!
Possible Reasons Why Your Baby Is Not Crying
Is it normal for your baby to never cry? Dont worry, the main thing is that all his needs are met. Despite this, every newborn is different. He may be hungry or cold without being able to express it by crying.
If the doctor has already told you that everything is fine, its because your baby is still learning to cry. In that sense , you have to start deciphering what he feels or wants through his movements and gestures.
Just because a baby isnt crying doesnt mean everything is okay. Thats why you need to keep an eye on his needs. For example, his meal schedule, next nap and last diaper change.
It is essential that the mother learns to take care of all the needs of her baby. You need to interpret how your baby communicates and respond appropriately.
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Crying Associated With An Allergy
When your babys crying is persistent and not related to hunger, sleep, or general discomfort, cows milk protein allergy may be the cause. Colic due to cows milk protein allergy tends to follow a pattern of threes: crying for more than three hours per day , for more than three days per week, and for more than three weeks.
What Helps: You should consult your pediatrician to determine if your baby’s crying is the result of a cow’s milk protein allergy. If your baby has diagnosed cow’s milk allergy, talk to your doctor about Nutramigen with Enflora LGG®, which is clinically proven to manage colic due to cow’s milk allergy with 90% of infants improving within 48 hours.
Tips For Settling Your Baby
- Once youve checked the basics theyre clean, dry, comfortable and fed consider if they just need to be close to you. Often, babies dont need anything ‘done’ for them, they just want to be held by the people they feel emotionally connected with.
- Hold your baby close to you and gently pat, rock or sway. Use a soothing, reassuring voice to let them know youre there. Sometimes the only way youll be able to settle your baby is to hold them until they fall asleep. See your child health nurse if your baby always needs to be cuddled to sleep.
- Take a walk outside and have a change of scenery this can help because its distracting.
- Try holding them in different positions in your arms. Offer skin-to-skin contact if theyre still very young.
- Offer a dummy if your baby has one.
- Give your baby a warm bath and a massage afterwards. Be sensitive to your babys cues some babies love baths and others dislike being undressed.
- Offer your baby a comforting breastfeed. If your baby is bottle feeding, they may need some extra milk.
- If your baby is younger than 3 months, swaddle them with a light cotton or muslin wrap.
- Put some music on, try humming, singing a song or reading to your baby. The sound of your voice may be enough to soothe them.
- Hand them to another trusted adult. Have a break from the intensity of your babys crying.
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Myths About Causes Of Crying
- Not Due to Gas. Gas passing through normal intestines does not cause pain or crying. All crying babies pass lots of gas. Their stomachs also make lots of gassy noises. The gas comes from swallowed air. The gas is normal. It does not become trapped nor cause any pains. That’s why burping a baby doesn’t help the crying. Blaming gas is a myth.
- Not Due to Spitting Up. Spitting up occurs in half of babies and is normal. It does not cause crying or colic. Heartburn meds do not help crying babies. They also have side effects.
Tips For Keeping Your Cool And Calming Your Baby Down
Remember that your baby has feelings. Babies are emotional beings and experience feelings of happiness, sadness, joy, and anger from the very first moment of life. If, for whatever reason, you are having trouble being responsive to your baby, your child will pick up on those signals. How would you feel if your spouse or parent was unresponsive to your signals or attempts to communicate? Thinking of your baby as an individual with a unique personality may make it easier to interpret and respond to his or her cries.
Choose some techniques for taking a time out. Strategies like counting to ten, going outside, taking deep breaths, putting your baby down and walking around the house for a minute, can all help you maintain a calm frame of mind.
Find a mantra. A mantra is a sound, word, or phrase, often said over and over again, to provide comfort and inspiration. With a crying baby, you may find yourself talking out loud anyway, and a mantra can help provide perspective, comfort, and energy to keep going. Some examples might be: Just breathe,This is hard, but doable, and All will be well.
Baby blues or postpartum depression?
Exhaustion, rapidly shifting hormones, and a challenging child might make you feel frustrated, sad, or even depressed. If you find yourself feeling depressed, worthless, or resentful or indifferent towards your baby, dont try to wait it out. See: Postpartum Depression and the Baby Blues
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Pay Attention To Your Babys Signals
The whole world comes to your baby through their senses, and every baby has different sensory needs, which is why one baby might love to be held and another doesnt or one baby will cry because of a wet diaper and another will ignore it and continue to play happily.
Get to know your babys preferences by engaging all of your senses as you try to figure out what your baby needs. Try being especially attentive to:
Changes in mood. Do your babys mood changes seem to coincide with environment changes, the time of day, or in relation to food or naps? For example, if your baby is cranky in the late morning, watch to see if they are sending signals that youre missinglike an isolated yawn or eye rubbing.
Reactions to different situations and environments. Babies often send signals that we as adults just dont notice. Your baby might get overstimulated if too many people are around or become especially upset about schedule changes.
Differences in your babys cries. At first all cries will sound the same, but, gradually, you will hear how the Im hungry cry is very different from the Im tired cry. Notice noise level, pitch and intensity of the cry, as well as your babys body language and facial expressions. An arched back, a scrunched-up face, eyes tightly closed to shut out the light, fists curled up, rubbing eyes, hyperactive or frenetic movementall of these signs communicate something specific about your babys emotional and physical state.