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 Infant
Crying
Infants
communicate by crying. They are new to the world, and every
sensation, every feeling is something new. New
parents often have a hard time determining what an infant needs when he
cries. There are some basic needs that the new parent can
check when an infant is crying, to be sure that they are met.
Any one of them, or a combination, can be the reason the infant is
crying.
First, check to see if the baby's diaper is wet or soiled.
That can make an infant very uncomfortable. If the baby needs
a change, then change his diaper. Often, that will solve the
problem. Infants often get very upset and cry hard during a
diaper change. That is usually because being uncovered can be
uncomfortable for him. Do the change as quickly and
efficiently as possible. Then, cover the baby back up with a
blanket or the baby's clothing.
Infants like to be warm. Being too cold or hot could be a
reason an infant is crying. Often, the most soothing thing to
an infant is being held close to a parent. It is not possible
to hold an infant too much; infants cannot be "spoiled" by lots of love
and attention. Check to see if he is too hot. If
the baby's skin is very red, or if he is sweating, he may need to have
his clothing or blanket adjusted to cool him off. Temperature
is an important thing to check to make the baby comfortable.
Is the infant hungry? Perhaps he needs to nurse or have a
bottle. Offer a feeding. Small infants need to eat
often, as they are growing rapidly. Eating is also soothing
and comforting. An infant will never overeat; so do not worry
about overfeeding. He will stop crying when his hunger is
satisfied.
Once infants eat, gas develops. An infant's digestive system
is very immature - eating is a new experience! The infant's
crying could mean she needs to be burped. Place the infant
against a shoulder so that her stomach is up against the adult's
shoulder. Pat firmly on her back to see if she needs to
burp. Sometimes, walking the baby in this position can help
soothe her. Remember, she was used to movement in the
womb. Another way to help relieve gas is to sit the baby with
the palm of the hand against her stomach, and the infant leaning up
against that hand. Pat firmly on the back repeatedly to see
if that helps the baby to expel air.
Infants like to be swaddled in a small blanket. Swaddling
means that the blanket is wrapped around the baby's body fairly tightly
so that the arms are held close to the body. Remember that
the baby was all curled up inside the womb not so long ago, so the
feeling of being held together is comforting. The feeling of flailing
could be the reason for the infant's crying. There are easy
ways to fold a blanket and wrap it around a baby so that the baby is
comfortably swaddled. Always make sure that the head and neck
are not wrapped in the blanket!
If you have checked the baby's temperature, and checked whether baby is
hungry or needs a burp, and the baby is swaddled, if he is still
crying, you can try making a rhythmic "Shhhh" sound near the baby's
ear. That sounds like the womb, and can help the baby to
settle down as well. The overwhelming sounds in the room
could be the cause of the infant's crying.
All of these techniques can be helpful for soothing a crying
infant. Always, if you suspect that the baby is in pain or
sick, or if he won't stop crying after trying all of these things,
check with the baby's pediatrician.
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