Attachment Milestone : Attention And Regulation
Attention and regulation go hand-in-hand, because a baby who cant calm down wont be able to pay attention and interact with you.
Your baby has periods when they are calm , attentive , and shows interest in faces, but doesnt necessarily engage with you at this point.
You follow your babys lead. When your baby pays attention to you, you respond with gentle touch, soothing tone of voice, and playful facial expressions. When your baby looks away, you do the same.
Why Your Baby Might Be Crying
There are so many reasons why babies cry! One thing to keep in mind is that since babies cant talk yet, crying is one of the top ways they have to communicate. And babies can easily go from 0-100% in a matter of seconds. Babies often use their whole bodies to cry, so even a small cry can look pretty dramatic when it comes from an infant.
Lets look at some of the more common and less worrisome reasons why your baby may be crying:
About Newborn Baby Behaviour
Sleeping, feeding, crying. Thats what newborn behaviour is all about in the first few months.
Although your baby might give you some eye contact, crying is probably the main thing youll notice about your babys behaviour. For example, your baby will cry because they feel hungry, unsettled, wet or uncomfortable, or just because they need a cuddle. And sometimes your baby will cry for no obvious reason.
Babies are born with very different temperaments. Some are relaxed and easygoing, and others seem to be more intense. Some seem to move constantly, and others are quieter. Some are cheerful most of the time, and others are more serious.
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Try The Reverse Football Hold
The reverse football hold can be comforting for babies, especially if they are having gas pains. This position puts gentle pressure on baby’s tummy, which can help get the gas out. Here is how it works:
- Try laying your baby on his stomach or side on your forearm, with his head toward your elbow.
- Use the palm of your hand to apply gentle pressure to your baby’s tummy. You can hold onto your his for added stability.
- Use your other hand to gently rub and pat his back.
- Sway softly back and forth. This gentle rhythmic motion can help soothe your baby.
If you are nursing your baby, make sure you are not getting too much caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant and can actually cause your baby to cry more and have a hard time falling asleep.
Baby Bicycle To Get Rid Of Gas
The gas in babys belly can cause aches and pains that will send your little sweetie into a whaling fit. You can help to eliminate some of the gas that is further into her digestive track by doing this genius hack.
Lay the baby on a blanket on the floor. Move his or her legs back and forth as if shes riding a bicycle, but in the air.
After 7 or 8 of the bicycling movements, gently push her knees to her tummy and roll her bottom into the air. Youll easily get a blast of gas or two.
Start again with the bicycle movements and continue the process until baby stops farting.
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Give Your Baby A Massage
A baby massage helps to soothe your little one and is great for their skin at the same time! What exactly is a baby massage? Its simply using your fingers and hands to gently but firmly stroke your babys body in a calming way.To get the full scoop on how to do it, check out our article here!When you massage your baby, use a gentle lotion or baby oil, like Mustelas Baby Oil. Composed of 99% plant-based ingredients, our protective baby oil blends effortlessly into the skin, creating a comforting massage experience for your baby. Even better, it moisturizes your little ones skin at the same time!
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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Baby Cry: Annoying Sound Or Important Communication
Have you ever been stuck in the same room with a crying baby? If you have, chances are you know how difficult it can be to make the baby stop crying. Or at least you know how difficult it can be for you to make him stop. Babies are soothed by their mothers more easily than anyone else. The baby might keep crying even when you give him his favorite toy, but he will calm down when his mother does the same. Do not worry, it is nothing personalit is just the way babies brains are wired! Because babies are so dependent on their parents, human beings grow close to their families very early in life. For example, imagine a puppy playing with her mom. Because the mom protects the puppy from potential danger, the puppy can grow up to start her own family. Once the puppy grows up and becomes a mother, this dog then protects the new babies until they grow up to make even more puppies. By protecting the youngest members of the family, animals guarantee the continued existence of their species. For this reason, motherchild relationships in many species are crucial to a babys healthy development: their bond keeps the species alive. After all, who wants to live in a world without puppies?
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.
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Get Another Set Of Hands Involved
Sometimes babies can pick up on your stressand dealing with a crying baby for hours on end can stress you out. If you have someone else arounda partner, a family member, or a mothers helpergive them a turn with the baby. This can help your baby relax, and give you a change to recharge your batteries and relax.
Babies Tune Into Our Feelings And Reactions
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For better or worse, a baby tends to tune in to her caregivers emotional state. This means that just when babies need us to be at our calmest so we can help calm them, we are often feeling stressed, frustrated and wound up! Our arms and shoulders are tense, and our facial expressions also may show the stress. A caregivers stress can add to the babys stress and intensify her fussiness.
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Why Do Babies Cry
All newborns cry and get fussy sometimes. It’s normal for a baby to cry for 23 hours a day for the first 6 weeks. During the first 3 months of life, they cry more than at any other time.
New parents often are low on sleep and getting used to life with their little one. They’ll quickly learn to find out if their crying baby:
- is hungry
- has a wet or dirty diaper
- is too hot or cold
Often, taking care of a baby’s needs is enough to soothe a baby. But sometimes, the crying goes on longer.
In Infants 3 Months And Younger
Babies have little in the way of tools to get us to respond to their needs, says Dr. David L. Hill, FAAP, associate medical editor of Caring for Your Baby and Young Child, 7thEdition, Birth to Age 5. One is looking cute, and the other is crying. These tools are limited in scope, but theyre not limited in power. We are wired to respond to babies crying.
Your infant has many important things to tell you. In the first several months of life, they may be crying because they:
- are hungry
- are overstimulated from noise or activity
- are irritated by scratchy clothing or a tag
- need to be rocked or swaddled
- are in pain or are ill
Surprised that intestinal gas is absent from the list? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, gas passing through the babys lower digestive system isnt painful. You may think thats the reason for their distress because theyre releasing lots of gas during crying jags, but its a myth that gas gets trapped in the intestines and causes pain.
Since there are quite a few reasons for crying, it can be overwhelming to pinpoint the problem. Hill recommends having a checklist, especially in the middle of the night. When youre stumbling around sleep-deprived, its a good way to be sure you consider every possibility for the cause of the squalls, and get your baby and yourself some relief.
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Checking The Baby For Signs Of Discomfort Hunger And Gas
Different cries mean different things. Check to see if a stray hair has made a tourniquet on a toe or finger and is causing discomfort or whether your baby might be too hot or too cold. Hunger is another popular source of screaming, or they could have gas or just be tired, which tends to be the least understood cry. There are times, however, that your baby will seem to be crying for no good reason.
The 10- to 12-week period, for example, can be a fussy stage for babies and theyre not yet able to self-soothe at that point, says Janet Kennedy, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist, founder of NYC Sleep Doctor, a sleep-consultation service and author of The Good Sleeper: the Essential Guide to Sleep for Your Baby .
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It requires a lot of hands-on work to keep them calm in this period, particularly during a couple hours a day when theyre kind of out of control, she says. Its very stressful for parents, especially if youre misinterpreting that fussiness as something else and you end up overfeeding or just struggling because you dont know whats going on.
Causes Of Unexplained Crying
- Hungry Baby. The most common reason babies cry is because they are hungry. They stop crying at the onset of feeding. By the end of the feeding, they are happy.
- Sleepy Baby. The second reason babies cry is they need sleep. They need their parent to put them in a comfortable position. It may be swaddled and on their back. Then they fuss a little and fall asleep.
- Fed Too Much. Some babies cry because of a bloated stomach from overfeeding. Unlike gas, too much milk can cause discomfort that lasts a short time.
- Caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant that can cause increased crying and trouble falling asleep. Breastfeeding mothers need to limit their caffeine intake.
- Clothing. Being too hot or too cold can make a baby cry. So can clothing that is too tight.
- Dirty Diaper. Stool is very irritating to the skin. If not cleaned off, it can cause pain and burning.
- Colic. Colic is the main cause of recurrent crying during the early months. All babies have some normal fussy crying every day. When this occurs over 3 hours per day, it’s called colic. When they are not crying, they are happy.
- Pain . Painful causes include an earache, mouth ulcers, or a raw diaper rash. An ulcer on tip of penis may also cause pain and crying. These babies cry a lot and are not happy when they are not crying. They need to see a doctor to make a diagnosis. Fever in this age group is serious until proven otherwise. Shaken baby syndrome is a concern.
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Understanding And Responding To Your Newborn Babys Behaviour
Your newborn baby is working out what the world is like. The way you respond to your babys behaviour, especially crying, tells your baby a lot about the world.
For example, your baby might find out that when they cry, someone comes to give them what they need. This might be a nappy change, a feed or a cuddle. If that happens, baby will learn that the world is a pretty OK place.
When you respond quickly to comfort your crying newborn, your baby might cry less often overall. Its absolutely fine to pick up your newborn baby when they cry. It helps your baby feel safe and know that youre nearby.
You cant spoil a newborn. If your newborn is crying, its because they need you to comfort them. If you respond calmly and consistently, it helps your baby learn that the world is a safe and predictable place.