She cries all the time, even at 3 am, I wake up to her crying.
It’s exhausting and even though I love her, I wish she’d be quiet for a while and let me sleep, a tired first-time mum Janet Wambui says.
Wambui is not alone. New parents soon realise that their babies cry a lot. They cry when they are hungry and when full. They cry when they need a diaper change and when they wake up.
“She just cries all the time. Even sometimes for nothing. It’s like she enjoys it,” Wambui says.
The first cries of a newborn baby are often music to the parent’s ears.
However, this changes in a few weeks to months when they continue crying endlessly.
There is need for new parents to understand why their baby or babies are crying almost always.
According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), by the time babies are one month old, it is common for them to cry for two or more hours each day.
The UN body assures that it is perfectly normal and as babies reach two to four months old the amount of crying should go down.
Although they can be exhausting, your baby’s cries are important and should be treated with great care.
There are number of reasons why your baby is crying:
According to UNICEF, crying is how babies communicate their needs.
“By around four months, your baby’s cries will start to sound different if they are hungry, in pain or tired,” UNICEF says.
They can also cry because they are frustrated or tired, during discomfort and loneliness.
The organisation emphasises the need for parents to pay attention to their baby’s cries to help them to better understand and bond with the little ones.
Instead of just trying to stop your baby’s tears, try to find out what caused them.
The baby may be crying because of overstimulation, boredom, exhaustion, hunger, needing a nappy/diaper change, gas, needing to be held, feeling sick or in pain, and feeling too hot or too cold.
Is it just crying or colic?
Colic is when babies cry frequently for lengthy periods.
UNICEF says if your baby is crying a lot (more than three hours a day, three days a week for at least one week), colic could be the issue.
The precise causes of colic are unknown, but it’s common in many newborn babies.
Colic can start when a baby is a few weeks old and usually will go away by six months.
While it can be very worrying and stressful as a parent, UNICEF reassures that it is temporary and will pass.
If worried about your baby’s colic, parents can contact their healthcare provider if the baby continues to cry a great deal.
What you should do if your baby cries at night
If you have a newborn, they need to be looked after if you hear them crying at night.
Ignoring their night cries can make them feel that nothing they do makes a difference and that they do not matter to anyone.
UNICEF adds that at this point, babies need to know they are loved and cared for.
It reminds new parents that little babies from newborn to four months are not capable of learning a routine and that responding to their cues for feeding and comfort helps them to feel secure and reduces the crying.
How can I calm my baby?
Recalling the reasons babies cry, the solutions to stop their cries can range from feeding, checking their nappy/diaper and changing if needed, quietly singing and talking to your baby, or playing some gentle noises or music.
Other ways include rocking your baby gently or going for a walk, holding your baby close to your shoulder or chest, engaging in skin-to-skin contact by holding your baby to your bare chest, and stroking your baby's back firmly and rhythmically while holding them against you or lying face down on your lap.
UNICEF states that holding your baby when they are crying helps them to feel loved and secure, even if they do not stop crying straight away.
How can parents stay calm when their baby cries?
When the baby has been crying for some time, it can make one feel like crying too, especially when they are running on low energy and sleep.
It is common to feel stressed and overwhelmed when dealing with a crying baby – you are not alone. Try your best to remain calm and be patient. Believe it or not, your baby can sense when you are tense.
Sometimes, even after it feels like one has tried everything, the little one will continue to cry.
During times like this, it is okay to just gently hold the baby or, if possible, ask another person for help.
It is important to seek support from other caregivers and trust to help look after one’s own health.
If a parent is feeling upset, they can put the baby in a safe place and take a short break (5-10 minutes) before coming back to try again.
