Blog

Why baby cry at night?

In the first days of life, a child's cry is the only form of communication he knows. Therefore, parents need to listen to it carefully in order to distinguish the reason why a baby cry at night, a baby cries in sleep, a baby crying in sleep suddenly, how to stop a baby crying and how to help baby sleep.

When a newborn is born, everything around is new. A learning process begins also for parents. They learn their baby every hour whether it is their first or subsequent child, because each baby is different with individual needs, habits and character.

One of the first lessons we have to learn about our baby is to learn to distinguish why one is crying. Does this mean that there are various types of crying? Exactly so!

Crying is baby's first language to communicate with the world. The sooner we get to know it, the sooner we learn how to calm a crying baby.

The causes of crying in children

First of all, remember that a crying baby is absolutely not a reason to panic. It is a perfectly normal sight during the first months of a toddler's life. And the most important thing is to learn how to calm your baby as well as stay calm and patient at the same time.

A two-month-old baby cries 2 hours a day on average - mainly in the evening, when already very tired and irritable. In the following months of life, a baby learns to cope with stimuli from the environment and cries much less. At around 4 months of age, an infant cries on average 1 hour a day on average.

These are statistics, of course, and in fact, it happens that babies can cry for hours and parents do not know how to calm their baby. The most important thing is to find out why your little one is crying. And there can be many reasons. Before we start to worry that our baby is crying because something serious is happening, let's check if it is not an ordinary signal that the baby needs something. What can a baby cry mean? 

Hunger

Most often, newborns cry because they are simply hungry. Empty tummy is the biggest drama for a baby and one will surely let you know about it so loudly that everyone around you will surely hear it. How to calm a newborn crying of hunger? There is only one solution for a baby's great hunger - breast milk or a formula. When the crying of a child stops after eating, it is the best proof that nothing but hunger was wrong.

Wet diaper

 If you do not know how to calm your baby, check the diaper. Some babies are extremely sensitive to the wetness in a nappy and will cry right away. It is usually enough to take off the wet diaper, wipe the bottom, put cream on it and put on a new one, so that the baby calms down and stops crying.

Tummy ache

It's a bigger cry, because it's a more serious problem. Tummy pain is very tiring for babies - a crying baby becomes tense, arches and cannot fall asleep. How to soothe a baby crying because of stomach pain?

The cause of your baby's stomach ache may be minor. Perhaps it just didn't do a poop after eating. It's a good idea to lift your newborn baby upright, put it over your shoulder and wait for a while. If he manages to poop, the relief will be immediate.

Formula-fed babies are more likely to suffer from abdominal pain because some cannot eat well from the bottle yet and swallow too much air. Babies who are breastfed sometimes have stomach difficulties due to their mother's diet and stomach aches due to food allergies. Toddlers also experience constipation, which is also manifested by abdominal pain.

Colic is a common cause of abdominal pain and terrible crying in toddlers. Not all children suffer from this condition and it can be easily distinguished from ordinary abdominal pain. It usually starts in the first weeks of life and can stop only after the end of 4-6 months of age. Most often, an infant suffering from colic begins to cry intensely in the late afternoon or evening. Crying from colic may last even for several hours every day.

How to calm a child in such situations? In these cases, it is worth trying a gentle tummy massage or a warm bath. Warm water bags with cherry stones are also great. This should be a relief for your little one.

Too hot or too cold

Newborns often cry when they are not dressed properly. Little ones don't need a few extra layers of clothes. There is also no need to thickly cover them with blankets when they are at home. If your baby is crying and you are wondering how to calm your baby down, make sure he is not too hot. Touch the baby's neck to see if it is hot or wet.

It can also be too hot for your little one when the air in the room is too dry. Before taking a nap or going to bed at night, be sure to ventilate your baby’s room so that they have fresh air for sleep. You should also consider buying an air humidifier, especially for the winter months when the heating is on.

Too many stimuli

In the first months of life, the baby learns the world intensively, but one cannot always cope with the surrounding stimuli. Then he/she often reacts by crying. The crying child then gives us a sign that he has a problem with calming down. It is also an important signal for us, because by observing the child, we will find out what he/she is still not coping with and what stimuli we have to limit. 

The need for closeness

Newborns love hugging and closeness. Sometimes their crying is just a cry for closeness. They want to be hugged, they want to feel the body heat and smell of mom or dad, they want to be in their arms. All we need to do is hug the baby, play for a while or carry the baby, and the crying baby will turn into a sweetly sleeping baby.

Crying baby - types of crying in a newborn

Since we already know that a baby is crying to communicate something to us, it is worth learning what a crying baby wants to tell us. Although at first we may think that the baby is just crying, it turns out that he/she cries differently in different situations. How can you tell why your baby is crying and soothe your baby?

If a toddler is hungry, his crying is usually lower-pitched - not so excruciating and long. If a newborn baby whines gently, it usually means that he wants to sleep. A toddler angry with something will cry loudly and intensely. But the most important thing is to recognize when your baby is crying in pain. Most often, such a cry resembles a high-pitched squeak. Then there is a break and the little one starts whimpering. If we notice that our baby is crying like this, check what may be wrong. Is it just a stomachache, or maybe an infection starts and so the baby signals us, for example, an earache. First of all, check if your toddler has a fever. If so, see a doctor as soon as possible. Do the same if the baby does not have a fever but the crying becomes persistent and continues.

How to calm a newborn baby - stay calm

The basic rule for a crying baby is parental peace. We will not find a way to calm a newborn down if we are in stress. The child feels our mood and needs our peace and composure. Sometimes it's just enough for him/her to feel safe again, calm down and fall asleep.

Let's start by checking if your baby is dry in the diaper, is properly dressed and not hungry. These are the basic needs. If all of them are fulfilled and the toddler is still crying, let's listen to his/her cry, because it may be a sign of being in pain.

However, if the child is crying and whining and we are sure that he is okay, be patient - maybe our toddler has a day full of experiences and stimuli and cannot cope with them. Our peacefulness, hugging or rocking will certainly help the baby. Daily rituals are also helpful in such situations. That is why it is worth implementing consistency from the first days of a child's life. Regular evening routine – e.g. bathing, feeding, falling asleep at relatively constant hours. In addition, a favourite diaper, blanket or myHummy teddy bear. This will surely make your baby calm down and fall asleep faster, even after a day full of new experiences and stimuli.