Dealing with newborn crying

On a given day a newborn can cry  for up to 2 hours or even more.   Crying does not produce any tears  until the first month or two. A crying baby is trying to tell you something. It is your job to figure out what it is. Babies cry because of the following reasons.

• Hunger
• Discomfort
• Frustration
• Fatigue
• Loneliness

Sometimes crying can  be fixed with a diaper change or feeding. At other times  its can be a mystery and stops as quickly at it begun. At other times, the baby is inconsolable  and this can be very frustrating to parents.

You will soon learn the difference in your baby’s cries and be able to respond accordingly.

Some techniques to console a crying baby .

• Take care of the baby’s physical needs first – hunger, diaper change , need to burp.
• Walk with the baby in a sling or stroller.
• Rock the baby in a rhythmic , gentle motion .
• Try a baby swing or a rocking cradle.
• Gently stroke on the back or chest .
• Take the baby for a ride in the car.
• Try to swaddle the baby.
•  Turn on some white nosies such as  washing machine or vacuum cleaner.

It is important to respond to your baby’s cries. Young children will not be spoiled by picking up. Being  held is reassuring and comforting when the bay cannot express himself in any other way.

NOTE

No matter how frustrated you become, never shake a baby. This can cause severe injury to the baby’s fragile brain. Let someone take over for a while if you are frustrated or angry. If you are alone, put the baby down in a safe place such as the crib and go to another room for a few moment. This will give you time to calm down. Then you can go to your baby and try a different way comfort him.