Why is my baby crying? How to soothe a crying baby

Why is my baby crying?

As a first-time parent, learning to interpret your baby’s different sounds and cries may take a bit of time, but there’s no rush. Don’t worry, you’ll get to know your baby’s different cries soon! Babies cry for different reasons, like:

• Hunger
• Being overstimulated by noise, movement and activity
• Having trapped wind they need your help releasing
• Being uncomfortable – They could have a dirty nappy, their clothes could be uncomfortable or they could be too hot or too cold
• Fatigue
• Colic – where babies cry for more than 3 hours a day, but there isn’t an obvious reason why.
• Teething Pain
• Being sick

If any of the reasons above aren’t the cause of your baby constantly crying, look for signs that could be linked to your baby crying in pain.

Its helpful to learn some signs that may indicate that your baby is not well. These could be:

• Constant crying (the way they cry might sound different than usual and be more high pitched)
• Making whimpering noises; not all babies cry when in pain
• High-pitched screaming
• Squirming and wiggling
• Tensing their muscles. They can become rigid, clench their fists, pull up their arms and legs or stretch out their bodies.
• Very sick or premature babies can also become floppy and not move much at all
• Being irritable and restless
• Having wrinkled brows and closing their eyes
• Not eating a lot or at all
• Not sleeping at night or sleeping more than usual.

If your baby has any of the above symptoms it could be due to pain or it could be something else so speak to your doctor for advice.

How to soothe a crying baby?

You might feel a little helpless and like you cannot do much to help your baby when they're crying, but you're not. There are most definitely things you can do to help them get relief.

How can help you soothe a crying baby?

• Rock them or walk around while they’re strapped to your chest
• Give them a warm bath
• Try to distract your baby. Maybe you can even make them laugh. You can also put on some soft music or white noise.
• Give them a bottle or breastfeed them. Letting them suckle can be soothing.
• Stroke your baby’s back while holding them against your chest or put them face-down on your lap.
• Give them a massage. Be gentle but firm and until they’re a month old, avoid using oil or lotion.
• Give them a dummy, blanket or toy that soothes them
• Burp them to see if any trapped wind was causing them pain. If this is the case, they should feel better instantly once it’s out check their nappy and change if dirty or wet

Sometimes a crying baby can also be stressful for you too. At all times, be kinder to yourself and try to find people who can help with baby if you need a breather. It’s good to remember that you should never ignore and leave a baby to cry.

What to give to help a baby in pain?

To help ease their discomfort, you can try giving your baby children's medicine such as paracetamol or if they are older than 3 months and weigh over 5kg, you can try giving them ibuprofen. Do not give paracetamol and ibuprofen at the same time.

Nurofen for Children, which provides up to 8 hours of pain and fever relief comes in strawberry and orange flavours is specially formulated for little ones.