Why do Newborn Babies Cry?

The more over-tired your baby becomes, the harder she will be to get to sleep. Some over-tired babies go past crying, and become hyper wide awake...staying awake for hours. This is not good either, as your baby will be missing essential sleep she needs.

Solutions:

• Click here for more info on recognising baby tired signs

• Read our article on Tips for helping your newborn to fall asleep.

• Swaddle your baby and put her into bed straight away.

• Use white noise, patting, forehead stroking, dummy etc to help her fall asleep.

She needs a clean nappy

Some babies let you know right away when they need to be changed. Others don't mind when their diapers are soiled — it's warm and comfortable to them. (Parents are often surprised when they pick up their infant and find she's been sitting in a dirty nappy and never made a sound.) Either way, this one is easy to check and simple to remedy.

Solutions:

• Change your baby's nappy.

• It can also help to use a Miracle Blanket or Purflo swaddle wrap, so you can keep her top half wrapped while you change her nappy, as newborns often hate the cold feeling of being undressed.

She's too cold or hot

Newborns like to be swaddled and kept warm. As a rule, they need one more layer than you need to be comfortable. So when your baby feels cold, like when you remove her clothes to change her, she'll express her discomfort by crying.  

However be careful that you don't overdress her, since she's less likely to complain about being too warm than about being too cold and won't cry about it as vigorously. Overheating is one of the main risk factors for SIDS.

If your baby is too hot, she will look red and feel hot or sweaty to touch.

Solutions:

• Check your baby's temperature by feeling on her ears or chest. If she feels cool to the touch, add another layer of clothing or a blanket.

• Babies generally aren't bothered by cold hands, even if it bothers you!

• If your baby is red or sweaty, take a layer off.

• Use natural fabrics such as merino wool and cotton, as these breathe and allow your baby to cool down more easily if she gets too warm.

Wind

Some babies are really bothered by wind, and others far less so. One indicator of wind is a baby that was settled in bed then starts crying after 5-10 minutes.

Solutions:

• Try picking your baby up, have a firm cuddle with some pressure on her tummy, and chances are that last little burp will come up. Read about burping techniques.

• Try some gripe water if your baby often has trouble with wind, or see your chemist for other options.

• See the Baby Whispering DVD for a range of burping techniques demonstrated.

• Swaddle your baby firmly and walk round with her resting on your shoulder.

• However we find that often wind is blamed for a crying baby when it's far more likely to be tiredness.

She wants a cuddle

Babies need a lot of cuddling. They like to see their parents' faces, hear their voices, and listen to their heartbeats, and can even detect their unique smell (especially Mum's milk).

After being fed, burped, and changed, many babies simply want to be held. You may wonder if you'll "spoil" your child by holding her so much, but during the first few months of life that isn't possible.

Infants vary a lot in how much they want to be held. Some demand a lot of attention, while others can spend long periods of time sitting calmly by themselves. If your baby likes the attention, pick her up, wear her in a front carrier or sling, or place her next to you in a bouncinette or lying next to you.

Solutions:

• Cuddles!

• Recognise that your baby wants close contact and cuddles, and put everything aside. Yes there are lots of other things that need doing, but you can get to them when your baby is calm or sleeping.

• Try your baby in a sling or front pack.

Baby is over-stimulated

While newborns often thrive on attention, they can easily become overstimulated and have a meltdown. You may find that your baby cries longer than usual after spending a holiday with many adoring family members or has periods at the end of each day when she seems to cry for no reason.

Newborns have difficulty processing all the stimulation they receive — the lights, the noise, being passed from hand to hand — and can become overwhelmed by too much activity.

Crying is their way of saying, "I've had enough." This usually happens when your baby is over-tired.

Solutions:

• Use our information on Tips to help your newborn fall asleep.

• Be aware that an over-tired or very over-stimulated baby may need a lot more help to wind down and fall asleep.

• But persevere with your settling efforts, as you don't want her to get even more tired!!!

• Take a look at how your baby became so over-tired, so you can try to avoid that situation in future.

General solutions for a crying baby

• The techniques to calm crying are generally the same as the ones we recommend to help a baby fall asleep. Click here for details.

• If your baby is really tired or worked up, it will take some time for your calming techniques to work and you may need to combine many of the techniques outlined in the above article. Be confident you can learn the skills to calm your baby...even if it can feel impossible and horribly stressful at times.

• Know how to recognise when your baby is tired, as you can then avoid much of your baby's crying.

• We highly recommend you watch The Happiest Baby DVD if you want to learn techniques to calm your baby's crying. Use effective swaddling, white noise and a dummy as the absolute minimum!

If the crying is really getting to you

If you know your baby's needs have been met and you've tried to calm her but she's still crying, take some time out so you don't get too exasperated:

• Put your baby down in a safe place, such as her cot.

• If you haven't tried white noise yet, do it NOW. Get your vacuum cleaner and leave it running under your baby's cot. Note, sound machines should be a minimum of 1m from the sleeping baby.

• Call a friend or relative and ask for advice.

• Make a cup of tea and eat some chocolate (or a healthy snack!)

• Put on some music to distract yourself.

• Give yourself a break and let someone else take over.

• Go for a walk in the garden & get some fresh air.

• Take deep breaths.

• Remind yourself that nothing is wrong with your baby and crying won't hurt her — she may just need to wind down and fall asleep if you have already used all your calming techniques.

• Whatever you do, don't take your frustration out on your baby by shaking her.

Fortunately, babies (and their parents) are resilient and somehow manage to get through even the most difficult crying episodes. Take heart that by the time your baby is 8 to 12 weeks old, she'll be better able to soothe herself and much of the crying will stop.