What To Do When Your Baby Cries

What To Do When Your Baby Cries.

Quickly see if the baby needs to be changed or is uncomfortable--overly warm or too cool. If she's sucking on her fist or fingers allow her to do so--perhaps all she really wants is to be propped or held in a way to be able to suck her fists. This is not necessarily a sign of hunger and pushing a bottle towards her may make her angry. Some young infants, particularly breast fed babies, do much better with their fist than pacifiers. If the baby begins crying after lying in her crib for a while, pick her up. Likewise if she's been up for a while and beginning to fuss then put her down--she may need to rest. If it has been over two hours since she last ate you might try to feed her. If it's only been an hour but nothing else works try to feed her.

If you have no idea what she needs, try to go through a series of possibilities within just a few minutes that may meet the baby's needs before she gets too frustrated and loses sight of why she was crying in the first place and just begins screaming inconsolably.

Previously a book, Curing Infant Colic by Taubman was referenced. It contains several flow charts that hope to point you some inkling of what to do.

The most common problems leading to prolonged crying are:

1) Not feeding a hungry baby because "it's too soon to eat".

2) Not trying hard enough to let him meet his sucking needs.

3) Stimulating or distracting an overly tired infant

Could it be the formula? In infants who are abnormally fussy, about 10 % of the time it may be a sign of a formula intolerance. If this is the case, the crying will usually be throughout the day & not just concentrated in the evening. Often there are other symptoms such as vomiting, excessive spitting up, diarrhea, or excessive flatulence (gas). This may represent either a lactose intolerance or an allergy to a protein. About 1/3 of those infants who have a cow milk allergy may also have a soy formula sensitivity. These may do better on the special formulas such as Nutramigen or Alimentum. If the formula is changed and an infant is day and night better and remains that way, it may represent a formula intolerance. If on the other hand, the infant is 'a little better' or initially better and 'backslides,' it is probably not the formula. Remember 80% to 90% of the time there is no formula sensitivity.

Could it be gas? All babies have gas. Within several minutes of life, long before they have any feeding, infants have gas throughout their bowel. That's because the most common cause of gas is swallowed air that is swallowed when crying. Adults know that gas is sometimes painful and it may cause discomfort in some infants. It is seldom the sole cause of abnormal crying. While feeding, burping techniques or the type of formula can contribute to gas, the most common cause is swallowed air. Even in infants who seem to have excessive gas and be irritable, it is hard to know how much of a problem the gas is and which came first--did the infant cry and swallow air leading to the appearance of gas or did excessive gas cause the infant to cry more?

If you feel that gas is a contributing cause to your baby's crying there are some things you may try. Feeding the infant sitting upright so that gas rises to the top of the stomach and is more easily expelled may be helpful.