7 Common Reasons Babies Cry

Sometimes it’s easy to understand why your baby is crying, especially if she is teething or overwhelmed (and at times underwhelmed!) by the world around. But it’s often a case of checking for a few different things – try these tips from babycenter.com when you’re at your wit’s end:

1. Among the most common reasons is simply that your baby is hungry. Look for the other signs of hunger that usually come before crying, such as lip smacking and your baby putting hands in the mouth. Keeping an eye out for these signs can prevent hunger cries.
2. The next most common reason for crying is that your baby’s nappy needs to be changed. You’ll probably be able to tell if this is the case!
3. Your baby may simply be tired and need sleep. Not getting sleep is frustrating for them and leads to crying. You can prevent this by looking for signs of fatigue like yawns.
4. Your baby may want to cuddle or be held. Babies love to be close to their parents, see their faces and even listen to heartbeats.
5. Your baby may have tummy troubles – this can mean excess gas if she has just eaten, or colic. Try rubbing and patting his or her back, or popping your baby on his or her back and ‘bicycling’ the legs gently to expel excess air.
6. Your baby may feel too cold – babies will generally be happy wearing one more layer than you. And they tend to make less fuss about being too warm.
7. There may be something very small that’s bothering your baby. Think about what might make you uncomfortable and check for little things like a scratchy clothing label or hair caught around fingers or toes which could be causing your baby’s distress.

Have you experienced any other common causes of your baby crying?

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