Why do Babies Cry?

Crying is normal and a natural part of your baby's development. On an average a newborn cries anywhere between 2-4hours a day during their first few months of life and all this is still very normal and nothing to really worry about. If you wondering why babies cry suddenly or why babies cry so much keep reading.

As your baby grows the crying should reduce and also you would become a pro at reading their cues and understanding their needs. Crying is a form of communication for your baby and in most if not all cases it has a cause as to why they are crying. Let us look at some of the obvious and some not so obvious reasons as to why your baby might be crying and what you can do to make them comfortable and happy again.

Craving for your Touch and Warmth

There is no such thing as spoiling your baby with too much physical touch and attention. Babies need your warm embrace and physical contact to feel safe and loved. Think about it, they spend 9 months inside you in a tight warm space and suddenly when they are out they feel out of place and new.

Give them lots of cuddles, keep them close to your body so they can feel you, your warmth and know that mom is always around till they get used to being outside your body and the new environment. Every baby is different so if your baby needs extra time and physical contact make sure they get enough of it so they feel happy, comfortable and taken care of.

Babies are Always Hungry

Babies when born have a grape size stomach which gradually over the days, weeks and months grows to accomodate more feed. As a result babies are alwsy hungry as they can have very little milk each feed and soon get hungry again. As months roll by you will also get good at spotting the hunger signs and proactively responding to their needs which eases out the crying.

Too Tired to Sleep

Babies get tired very fast very soon. Even if your baby seems to respond to your voice, activities are up in general make it a point to give them breaks and naps. Small babies sleep a lot and tend to get tired and sleepy often with very little activities and if not put to sleep in time they get very cranky, overstimulated and then it gets very tricky to calm them down.

Bored to Tears

You heard it right, small babies get bored too from time to time and need you to engage them, talk to them, play or show them around the house or to take them out for a stroll.

Notice those coo's, weird noises and screams they make to catch your attention, it's their way of telling you they are bored and calling for your attention. After all who likes to be left alone with same view of the ceiling all day long.

Be patient as this is temporary, as your baby grows and gets mobile they find their own means of entertainment and rarely rely on you to keep them occupied. You would find yourself running after them to prevent them from doing mischief very soon.

Related: How to Calm a Crying Baby?

Regulate the Mood with Temperature

When you and I don't enjoy being too hot or cold why would the baby be any different. They are even more sensitive to temperature changes as their bodies can efficiently regulate the change in temperatures yet.

Make sure your baby is always comfortable, maintain a consistent temperature in the room and if that is not possible, make sure to dress them accordinlgy to keep themselves warm or cool based on the weather outside.

Fresh and Clean

Wet soiled diapers are not something any baby enjoys, ensure you change them timely to keep your baby smiling. Also it helps prevent those dreaded rashes and keeps your baby feeling fresh.

Make sure you baby's clothes are changed frequently even more so when small as they have spit ups and accidents. Keep the sleeping area hygenic, clean, smelling nice and comfortable at all times.

Burping, Relieving the Trapped Wind

With every passing day your baby's digestive system is improving, in the following months as your baby grows tries new foods the system develops and gets stronger but until them babies have a tough time with trapped air even more so if bottle fed or have a bad latch while breastfeeding.

All the trapped gas makes your baby very uncomfortable, cranky and sometimes in pain. Babies need to be burped often to ensure they relieve the trapped air. Gentle massages around the belly button in circular strokes also help relieve the gas. As your baby grows they master the art of burping and farting on their own and soon you'll notice there is no need to intervene.

When to See a Doctor?

In some rare instances the uncontrollable crying could be signaling something beyond the above mentioned culprits and you may need to see your doctor immediately

Baby has a fever and is below 3 months of age
Fever higher that 102F in babies above 3 months of age
Troubled breathing or shortness of breath
Difficulty in feeding or refusing to feed at all
Experiencing night sweats, chills, dehydration, weight loss or wheezing
Unusually cranky or sleepy, fatigued or shows signs of dehydration (dry skin, lips, sunken eyes and soft spot)
Has not pooped in 2-3 days