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Crying is your baby's way of telling you they need comfort and care. Sometimes it's easy to work out what they want, and sometimes it's not. The most common reasons for crying are: hunger. a dirty or wet nappy. tiredness. wanting a cuddle. wind. being too hot or too cold.
The ‘ICON’ approach can be a helpful way to remember what you can do if your baby is crying: I – Infant crying is normal and it’ll stop – babies start to cry more frequently from around 2 weeks of age, after about 8 weeks of age babies start to cry less each week.
One of the first things you’ll notice as a parent is that babies cry. Here we look at what makes babies cry and how to help them settle. Experiencing your baby crying can be upsetting, frustrating and exhausting. Not only are you trying to work out what’s wrong, but you’re desperately trying to soothe them at the same time.
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- Hunger. They call it “hangry” for a reason. Everyone gets a little cranky when they’re hungry, especially babies: They can go from zero to screaming pretty quickly if they haven’t eaten for a while.
- Sleepiness. As an exhausted parent, you may be able to fall asleep the minute you hit the mattress, but the same isn’t necessarily true for baby. Sleep is a learned skill, just like anything else.
- Dirty diaper. Some babies can sit in a wet or dirty diaper for hours without a care in the world. Others go nuts if they’re uncomfortable for more than a second.
- Need to burp. If you notice baby crying right after feeding, that’s a classic sign they need to be burped. But there are other times a good burping may be in order.
- Hungry cry. What it sounds like: At first, a hungry baby's cries are long, low-pitched, and repetitive, broken up by long pauses. As your baby gets hungrier, their cries will gradually build up, getting longer and louder with shorter pauses.
- Discomfort/fussy cry. What it sounds like: Babies who are fussy cry mildly, on and off. As with other types of cries, crying will increase in intensity the longer it goes on.
- Sick cry. What it sounds like: A sick cry won't sound like your baby's normal cries – and your baby usually won't stop crying no matter what you do. Your baby may sound tired and weak.
- Pain cry. What it sounds like: A baby who's in pain may suddenly shriek a single, long, and high-pitched cry. This may repeat as they continue to feel waves of pain.
The trouble is, every parent and baby is different and so normal can be hard to define. A 2017 review of studies from around the world found: On average, babies cry for around two hours a day in the first six weeks. Crying decreases from eight to nine weeks to around one hour at 10 to 12 weeks.
1. I'm hungry. Listen for: A low-pitched, rhythmic, repetitive cry, combined with other signals such as rooting for the breast, a sucking motion with her tongue, lip-smacking, or putting her fingers into her mouth. The solution: Respond to hunger cues quickly so that baby doesn't get too worked up.
