Fact - babies cry. Fact - there's usually a
typical reason why your baby is crying. Normal stuff like needing a diaper, needing food, or being overly tired are the main reasons why your baby will cry most of the time. Sad fact - sometimes no matter what you try; feeding, changing, a nap your baby may still cry. This usually means there's another reason behind those tears. Following is what your baby might be trying to tell you...
Entertain me!: Babies, even young
babies can get bored. Face it, their lives aren't all that exciting; eat, sleep, poop, repeat. Try some new activities or just include your baby in the conversation to see if he knocks off the crying.
Chill out: Babies can get stressed and upset according to the household mood. If people like you and your partner, or older siblings are always fighting, being loud, or tense, your baby can pick up on that. It's normal to argue sometimes but it's not normal or healthy for anyone to argue all the time. If constant fighting is typical in your home there needs to be some changes.
I can't tell you what I need: Babies aren't the most chatty people on the planet, which must be super frustrating because while they're not chatty, they're very opinionated. Babies are particular about toys, clothing, blankets, books and more. Example, the biggest non-typical reason my son would cry as a baby was when he wanted to hear a story and I couldn't figure out which one. He was a
late talker, and all he could do was point to the bookshelf over and over. I'd make a guess, get it wrong, and he'd flip. Eventually I learned to move the books to the bottom shelf so that Cedar could touch the one he wanted. You can help by keeping baby objects low to the ground so your child has choices or you can try some
baby sign language.
My voice rocks!: Sometimes babies just cry to hear their own vocal cords in action. Typically this is start and stop crying. You'll hear your baby cry, and then he'll stop, look interested, and start up again. There's not much you can do here, but luckily "I just love to hear my own voice" crying won't last long and doesn't tend to be as loud.
Something is pinching me: Pinching pain is a common type of baby pain that's easy to miss. Small hairs wrapped around a tiny toe or finger, a zipper or tag that pushes against his skin, the infant car seat belt is too tight, and so on. Consider your baby's clothing, skin, and gear if he's wailing on and on. [
image via Flickr]
