Crying Baby

General or Other | Paediatrics | Crying Baby (Symptom)


Description

Newborn crying jags are inevitable, but a crying baby can test your patience all the same.

Causes

In order to understand why a baby is crying, and how comfort can be provided, it should be borne in mind what upsets the baby and what comforts its changes as it develops. Crying is the most effective way babies have of communicating their needs. Most babies spend as much as seven per cent of the day crying. Most tiny babies have episodes of crying, which is often a sign of discomfort such as colic, but the cause is often not proven. Even by the age of nine months, one in four babies has episodes of crying for no obvious cause.

When a child cries excessively it may sound like their normal cry, but if the sound is unusual there may be an underlying medical problem. Breathing may become irregular with gasps and gulps. It is important to be alert for medical problems, especially infections such as otitis media (infection of the middle ear), gastroenteritis, meningitis or a respiratory tract infection, as well as problems ranging from severe nappy rash to rarer conditions such as intussusception or a strangulated hernia. Other reasons for crying baby can be: hunger; a dirty diaper; needs sleep; it wants to be held; it needs to burp; too cold or too hot; teething; it wants less stimulation or wants more stimulation.

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