Why does a 1 month old baby cry? Why does an infant cry? Misconceptions about the benefits of crying

It is very difficult to determine why a newborn baby is crying, since the baby cannot yet say anything and parents just have to guess about the reasons for their child’s discomfort. In most cases, the root cause of a child’s distress is not poor health at all, but ordinary discomfort or lack of attention from adults.

How to determine the cause of a newborn baby's crying?

In the initial months after the baby is born, it is quite difficult to determine why he is capricious and what he wants in life. at the moment time, but gradually each mother begins to understand her child without words, simply by the type of his cry:

regular crying, constantly increasing in volume, may indicate the baby is hungry. It’s very easy to check your guess - just touch the corner of the baby’s mouth with your fingertip, but if he immediately turns his head and opens his mouth, your guess is correct - the baby wants to eat;
quiet crying, during which the baby constantly twists and turns, may indicate discomfort. Check to see if the child’s clothes are unfastened, if the diaper is unraveled, perhaps the straps or elastic bands on socks or mittens are pressing, or sometimes the diaper is simply fastened tightly;
lingering whimper most often speaks of discomfort due to temperature conditions. In newborn babies, this is checked by the condition of the wrist - when the hands are cold, the baby should be dressed warmly, and if they are sweaty and wet, then, on the contrary, undress;
sharp loud scream– a sign of pain; in infants this is how intestinal colic manifests itself. If crying is accompanied by tightening of the legs and redness of the face, it means that the baby is experiencing problems with the elimination of gases; in order to calm the baby, the cause of the discomfort should be eliminated by using soothing tea or;
prolonged crying with variable volume, most likely, a consequence of the baby’s excessive activity during the day; now he is tired and cannot fall asleep on his own. Carry him in your arms, rock him in a stroller - the problem will go away by itself;
if the baby constantly cries during feeding(most often this problem occurs at 3-4 months), this may be a consequence of teething, which causes pain in the gums. Special rubber or silicone teethers and cooling gels will help;
quiet squeaking alternating with loud short screams, may mean that the child requires your attention. If at first the baby cries quietly, then over time the usual disorder will develop into a real tragedy and you will hear your baby loudly. It is best to approach your baby immediately after the first signs of dissatisfaction, this will make it easier to calm him down.

Young mothers are not able to determine why the baby is crying from the first months, but over time, every nurse will learn to recognize and predict the possible distress of her baby.

How to calm a crying newborn?

The most effective option calm down crying newborn remains in close contact with the mother. The baby, even after a hearty snack, wants constant maternal warmth, so he can be capricious only because he was put to bed. Take the baby in your arms, rock him, walk around the room with him, sing a song or just talk quietly. If the child has no other reasons for concern, he will soon fall asleep and you can move him to a sleeping place.

During the eruption of their first teeth, almost all newborns become very capricious, this is especially evident during feeding. Of course, when a baby cries, he cannot eat fully, so he should be calmed before feeding. Try dancing with your baby, spin him around a little; active tossing and other activities have a calming effect on many. physical exercise, why you should use them in the first place. If such measures do not have any effect, use modern cooling devices - teethers with water inside (they are placed in the refrigerator for a short time so that the liquid becomes cool, the cold soothes the pain) or special freezing gels. After using painkillers, the baby will calm down and you can safely feed him.

The loud cry of a newborn baby is manifested as a result of pain and cramping in the abdomen. If colic occurs, light massage, rhythmic rocking in the belly-to-belly position, and frequent breastfeeding can help. To eliminate pain and prevent colic, the mother should take herbal infusions - teas with fennel, chamomile, and in case of severe attacks in the baby, children's medications - "Espumizan", "Bebinos", "Baby Calm" and others - will help.

What can you do to prevent your newborn from crying?

Of course, it will not be possible to completely prevent the baby’s whims, since the baby can cry for various reasons, but you are quite capable of minimizing the main causes of his distress.

Try to spend as much time as possible with your newborn: children who receive enough attention from their relatives behave calmer and are not capricious so often.
To prevent colic and bloating in a child, it is recommended that the mother replace lactation tea with a composition containing fennel; at an older age, this drink can also be given to the baby; it does not contain any harmful components.
If a newborn is constantly crying, the reason for this may be uncomfortable conditions for him. Perhaps the temperature in the room is not suitable or the baby is being bothered by pets. Try to create the most optimal conditions for your child - the air temperature is about 24-26 degrees, the absence of sharp sounds and bright light.
Check the fullness of the diaper in a timely manner; a wet bottom is the main reason why a baby cries in her sleep. Regularly replacing disposable panties will not only save you from additional whims of the child, but will also help prevent possible irritation of delicate skin.
Try to remain calm in all situations, because young children are especially sensitive to the behavior of others. If the mother is calm, she has a better chance of quickly calming down the noisy baby, and this will also protect you from problems with lactation.

Parents of small children very often face the problem of a crying baby. Often they cannot figure out the reasons and understand why the baby is crying. This may be due to different situations, because the baby is not yet able to express his emotions and needs. His only means of communication is crying. In this way, infants can show that they are hurt, scared, and lonely. Babies can cry for various reasons, some of which require the attention of a doctor.

Why is a baby crying?

In the first months of a child’s life, it is very difficult to determine why the baby is crying: either he is just capricious, or wants attention, or something hurts. Over time, most mothers learn to identify the problem that caused it by the type of crying:

Normal crying, gradually becoming louder. He may be saying that the baby is hungry. You can check this by lightly touching the corner of the child’s lips; if the baby opens his mouth and turns his head towards the finger, it means he wants to eat.
Quiet whining crying accompanied by restlessness usually indicates discomfort. In this case, it is worth checking the child’s clothes and diaper; perhaps something is pressing or rubbing on him.
Prolonged whining may indicate that the baby is cold or hot.
The child expresses pain with sharp loud cries. Such crying can occur with intestinal colic.
Constant crying, which prevents the baby from eating and sleeping, may be associated with teething, which is accompanied by pain and itching in the gums. Special gels and teethers can help your baby reduce discomfort.
Prolonged crying with varying volume in the evening indicates that the child is overexcited and is unable to fall asleep on his own. In such cases, you need to try to calm him down, carry him in your arms, rock him.
A quiet squeak, which periodically gives way to a loud cry, may mean that the baby needs attention. In this case, at first the baby does not cry too loudly, but gradually his screams intensify.

Why does a baby cry in his sleep?

If an infant often cries in his sleep, then it is necessary to check his sleeping place. Maybe something is preventing him from sleeping normally. In addition, crying during sleep may be a sign of colic or teething (the first teeth may begin to emerge after 3-4 months). By screaming and crying, a child can show his fear. Often children cry simply because their mother is not around. If your baby cries constantly, you should consult a doctor. In cases where there are no pathological reasons for the crying, and it is caused by the absence of the mother, it may be worth thinking about co-sleeping.

Why does a baby cry before going to bed?

The reason that a baby cries before going to bed may be overexcitement or overwork. Since the baby’s body is still too weak, and nervous system not fully formed, he gets tired and tired very quickly. If the baby is tired or overexcited, then he cannot sleep, even if he really wants to. To cope with this problem, first of all, you need to organize a sleep schedule for your baby, which should be done daily. In order for the child to fall asleep faster and better, it is worth preparing a room for him, after ventilating it and covering the window. A quiet, calm song or reading a book will help calm your baby down before bed.

Why does a baby cry during feeding?

During feeding, the baby may cry due to discomfort and pain. This may be associated with inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity, such as thrush, stomatitis and others, infectious pathologies of the ears, nose and throat. Crying when eating can also be caused by teething or colic. In some cases, crying and breast refusal are caused by a change in the taste of milk. This usually occurs when the breastfeeding mother does not have proper breast hygiene and eats foods with a strong, pungent taste, such as onions, garlic, hot spices, and others.

Why does a baby cry after feeding?

Most common cause crying infant colic occurs after feeding. Their attacks especially often torment the baby in the evening. Colic occurs when gas accumulates in the baby's tummy. They are accompanied by arching of the child's body, pressing his legs to his stomach, strong anguished screaming and crying. You can help your baby cope with colic with a light abdominal massage, gymnastics, special baby medications, fennel teas and other remedies.

Why does a baby wake up crying?

A small child may wake up crying for a variety of reasons. The most common of them are: hunger, pain, lack of attention, wet diaper or a diaper, an uncomfortable sleeping place. If your baby has eaten too little or slept longer than usual, he may wake up hungry. In this case, he first begins to whine, then the crying intensifies and turns into a scream. It is also common for children to wake up in discomfort after peeing or pooping. Babies, accustomed to increased attention to themselves, often immediately begin to cry after waking up.

Why does a baby cry when he wants to pee?

Many babies cry before peeing. This should not be a cause for concern, but it should not be ignored either. Most often, the reason for such crying is physiological. However, infectious diseases of the genital organs and urinary tract are also possible, especially with a lack of hygiene. Therefore, if a child constantly and loudly screams when he wants to pee, or his temperature rises, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Why does my baby constantly cry?

Constant crying in an infant may be caused by colic or teething. In the first case, to help the baby, you can use a gas outlet tube (but not too often), give him a massage, and do gymnastics with him. To prevent colic after feeding, you need to hold the baby in an upright position for some time. When teething, to alleviate the condition of the baby, you can lubricate his gums with special ointments.

Why does a baby cry when she poops?

The cause of a baby's crying during defecation may be cracks in the anus. They lead to pain and discomfort when the baby poops. The problem usually develops against the background of frequent constipation. When the anus is cracked during defecation, the child grunts, winces, strains hard and cries.

Why does a baby cry while bathing?

The reasons why baby cries when bathing, maybe several times. The main ones:

incorrect water temperature - too hot or too cold (ideally the water should be about 37 degrees);
fear - small children are often afraid of the bathing procedure itself, so all actions must be carried out smoothly and calmly;
parental uncertainty;
The baby has wounds, scratches, diaper rash, insect bites and other skin damage.

Hearing a child cry, calling for help and attention from adults, becomes torture for many people... How to help a child? First of all, don’t panic! It is necessary to establish the cause of crying, and this requires a sober mind. Let's start with the simplest!

Hunger

The most main reason- especially in the first months of life. It's not hard to figure out how to calm a screamer. The American Academy of Pediatrics has long advised mothers to keep their baby in close proximity to immediately hear the first signals of hunger - restless movement or smacking, without waiting for crying. However, there is a danger of turning your chest into a “plug,” so learn to distinguish hungry crying from other types.

Cold

Signs that a child is cold - the skin becomes “marbled”, sometimes with a slight bluish tint, muscle tremors and goosebumps. Crying most often begins with a sudden high-pitched cry, which then turns into a prolonged whimper. The baby twitches his arms and legs. All this quickly passes after warming up, which, by the way, allows us to conclude that he was pale, screaming and trembling precisely because of the cold. What about the notorious hiccups that send caring grandparents into a panic?

Quote from the well-known doctor Komarovsky: “The cause of hiccups is twitching of the diaphragm (the muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen). Most often this happens due to the fact that air or gases lift (prop up) the stomach and it irritates the diaphragm. A normal child, when exposed to cool air, sometimes greatly increases muscle tone - tenses the muscles, including the abdominal muscles - this leads to the stomach pressing on the diaphragm and causing hiccups. But this does not mean that the child is cold - it only means that a normal child knows how to adapt to changes in ambient temperature.”

Heat

Are you sweating? Blushing? Are you wrapping your baby up too much?

Itching, skin irritation

If your baby is worried about diathesis, you should see a dermatologist or allergist. They will prescribe medications to relieve itching. We have the moral right to advise only cool air and a humidifier. Unfortunately, we know about this problem firsthand. They escaped the cold. An additional plus is that the baby grows up hardened.

Colic

A long, inconsolable, heart-breaking cry will tell you about their presence. Colic most often occurs in the evenings, sometimes at the same time (for us they coincided with the beginning of our favorite family series). The child's limbs tense, his fists clench, his back arches. Sometimes the tummy is swollen. The baby draws his legs in and twitches them impatiently, as if he wants to relieve the pain. To us, colic was somewhat reminiscent of contractions: the pain subsided sharply and returned after a minute or two.

Colic is a painful ordeal not only for the baby, but for the whole family. We must bravely survive this time. They stop around 12-14 weeks. Remember: colic is not a disease, but a natural physiological process. However, you can try to help the child.

Take the baby in your arms and let him move. Warmth can help - a diaper ironed on the stomach with a hot iron, a warm heating pad. Try gentle massage around your navel in a clockwise direction. The doctor can recommend some safe medicines- they can reduce the baby’s suffering, but without consulting a specialist, do not rush to carry out tests on the child.

Voltage

The child experiences it quite difficult. It's not just babies who cry because of this. Tension comes from fatigue. Frequent family scandals contribute to this. The child always feels the mother's mood. His reaction is a mirror of your behavior. Frequent visits from relatives interfere with peace of mind. They watch with affection the feeding and bathing, and when they leave, the child begins to cry. The child is gradually accustomed to visiting guests, and in the first three to four months it is better to reduce them to a minimum.

Crying from tension is angry, irritated, as if something is bothering the baby. Most often, children with increased activity cry from tension. The more excited he is, the more difficult it is for him to cope with this condition.

Try carrying your baby in your arms. Hold him close and caress him. He will feel your closeness. Or maybe it’s worth waiting (this does not exclude carrying the baby in your arms). She will cry and calm down, relieve stress. Try not to aggravate this condition, do not be nervous yourself, calm down. And best of all, observe what your child especially likes: looking out the window where people and cars are moving, watching the fish in the aquarium, “playing” with the overhead lights in the room. Maybe music will calm him down? Find such a favorable environment in advance, while the child is calm, and use it if necessary.

But remember, no matter how tiresome crying from tension may be, no matter how exhausting it may be on the parents’ nerves, it necessary child to restore it emotional state. The main thing is to control yourself.

Resentment

It happens not only to older children!

— The child was accidentally pushed and fell. The parents were in a hurry, and he was in their way.

— He was holding a toy. He pulled it into his mouth. " Are you crazy?!“This came out of my mother’s mouth.” And the child understood: they were unhappy with him. He did something bad. Trouble.

— The child cannot get his toy out of the box. She's stuck there. And we are not in a hurry to help him.

“He grabbed the treat, and we took it away.” " You need to eat first!»

Yes, indeed, the cause of resentment may be our rudeness, our own state of discomfort, which spills out on the child in the form of unrestrained phrases. What can I say? We must control ourselves. Your child shouldn't have to solve your problems.

If the offense was inflicted accidentally, carelessly, you need to apologize so that the baby understands: he has not stopped being loved, he is not alone!

True, it is not always necessary to satisfy the child’s demands and immediately rush to his aid. By the age of 2-3 years, the baby already knows how to manipulate your attention.

Crying manipulation

This is an inevitable and natural stage in the development of your child’s psyche. He learned to test what crying can achieve, how strong your system of prohibitions is.

Here you must stand your ground, otherwise the child will be capricious and capricious. You need to fight this, as they say, “while he’s lying across the bed.”

The kid knows that prohibitions exist. But does he know why? Do you know why the child’s demand will not be met?

You don’t give him a bright, attractive, fragile thing, because he might break it and hurt himself. Or maybe you don’t want to get off the couch?

Universal advice for all cases: try to study crying tongue your child. After all, he cries in different ways! Learn to distinguish these signals.

Here is the result of observations of one young mother:

— The child makes short sobs as he exhales. This means: “If you don’t take me in your arms now, I will really cry.”

- He's being capricious. Arches his back when I hold him in my arms. He wants to move, crawl.

- Cries with cries, demandingly, impatiently. And he smacks his lips. I wanted to eat.

— Spinning in place, as if trying to free himself from something, irritated. I check the contents of the diaper. Eat!

- He whines and looks at me. He's lonely. Requires communication.

- Sharp crying. Piercing. Pain or fear.

Of course, these are the most common cases. Each child has his own means of attracting attention. By looking closely, the mother will learn to understand these signs.

Another tip. Talk to your baby. Communicate more boldly. You will learn to understand each other.

- It turns out that you are wet! Now we will fix it!

- Do you want to eat? Well, please. I'm with you.

- Do you want to play with me? Well, now I'll get your cubes.

At first, such conversations will help the baby gradually switch to more advanced signals: Give it! Am-am! And then he will learn a verbal way of expressing his desires.

And while you don’t understand each other well, the baby is crying. And the older he gets, the more consciously he uses crying as a means of achieving his goal. All the more flexibility, patience and wisdom are required from parents so that your baby’s crying does not become an instrument of torture for you.

Before the baby was born, he was already crying. And mothers, especially beginners, go crazy, because they still do not know how to recognize the “signals” of their baby. How to understand why an infant is crying, how to help and whether it is necessary to help him at all?

The main causes of baby crying

When adults cry, then, most likely, they really feel bad, which means that some kind of trouble has happened, and a serious one. As for children, everything is not so clear for them. First of all, it is their nature: newborns cry because they cannot express their feelings and emotions in any other way. So, when analyzing a child’s cry, do not panic. Stay optimistic!

True, there are more serious reasons that lead to crying. Let's systematize them. Some of the most common reasons for crying include the following.

Instinct

This is the same crying that immediately stops after the mother takes the baby in her arms. The child is scared, he cannot yet “live” alone in this world, so he calls for help. Instinctively, the baby needs to feel the smell and warmth of mommy. You shouldn’t be afraid that he will be spoiled and become “tame.” Tactile contact with parents is not only a way to calm the baby, but also stimulate his physical and mental development.

Hunger, thirst

The first thing that should come to a parent's mind when a newborn cries is that he is hungry. Food is a child’s most important need, and in the first months of life he “talks” about his hunger by crying. Fortunately, it's easy to check if your baby is hungry. Offer him breast or formula. By the way, in the first 3-4 months, especially if the newborn is on breastfeeding, he has not yet developed a diet. Many mothers feed their baby not according to a schedule, but on demand. Therefore, it is not surprising that adults have not yet adapted to their child and his nutritional needs.

Mother's milk and formula will also quench the baby's thirst.

When a newborn begins to cry loudly and nervously, taking short breaks, then most likely he is hungry. Offer your baby breast or formula

Hungry crying has its own characteristics by which it can be identified. Firstly, it is very demanding, accompanied by short breaks in which the baby waits to be fed. If food does not appear, the cry continues with new strength, can turn into hysterics. Secondly, the child smacks his lips and makes sucking movements with his lips. After eating, the child immediately calms down.

Fatigue, overexcitement and sleep

A fairly common cause of crying and even hysterics is overexcitation of the child’s nervous system. The newborn’s body is still very weak; it is difficult for him to control even his own body. Therefore, he gets tired quickly. And if at the same time the baby becomes overexcited and overloaded with impressions, then the load on his body increases. As a result, the baby really wants to sleep, but does not sleep. The result is a hysteria with “choking” before bed, which frightens new mothers so much.

To avoid this problem, you should remember that a newborn definitely needs a sleep schedule, organized in such a way that the baby can easily relax and that nothing disturbs him. Semi-dark, well-ventilated room, moderate noise (for example, white noise, which you can read about here) - important nuances.

The baby is overtired, overexcited - expect tears! Children “relieve” nervous tension through crying. This often explains tantrums before bedtime. Try not to play tricks on your baby an hour and a half before bedtime.

In this regard, pediatricians do not recommend taking one month old baby(and indeed children under one year old) with you in noisy crowded places, to concerts, football matches, etc. Do not invite a crowd of guests and relatives. This is harmful not only from the point of view of overexcitability, but also its health (the baby does not need extra bacteria and viruses).

What to do if the baby starts crying and screaming? You need to take him in your arms, give him a breast, rock him. Some babies can be calmed by being tightly swaddled.

Urination

Oddly enough, but a child may cry before urinating. The thing is that some kids still don’t understand what kind of process this is, and they get scared when they start writing. In this case, there is nothing to worry about.

But here you need to be very careful. Crying can also be caused by a urinary tract infection. Girls also often experience inflammation of the mucous membrane of the genital organs, and boys often experience fusion foreskin, which can be determined by the stream of urine “to the side,” and narrowing of the urethra. The baby's cry in these cases initially sounds like a whimper, but just before peeing, the baby begins to cry and scream a lot. An elevated temperature is an indicator that inflammation is occurring in the genitourinary system. You should immediately consult a doctor and follow his recommendations.

Defecation

If your baby has small cracks in the anus, defecation will cause him discomfort and pain. It is necessary to pay attention to the following symptoms: the baby grunts, strains, winces and cries. Most often, this problem occurs due to frequent constipation. If your child experiences constipation regularly, you should consult a specialist and undergo appropriate tests.

Colic

Colic is one of the most common causes of baby crying. As a rule, they begin to torment newborns after feeding in the evening. Gases in the intestines can cause quite severe pain, so the baby begins to cry suddenly, shuddering, as if he had been pricked, straining hard and arching. For some children, the scream turns into an “excited” hysteria. The crying will continue until the colic attack passes.

To alleviate the baby’s condition, it is necessary to massage his abdomen “clockwise”, as well as light gymnastics: bend the legs and press them tightly to the tummy, raising the butt, then straighten them and straighten them all the way. While straightening, the baby farts, and this indicates that the gas is coming out and he will soon feel better.

If colic is your daily headache, and your child often puts on lengthy concerts, then you should tell your pediatrician about it. In addition to massage and gymnastics, he will prescribe other remedies.

Colic is the most common crying problem in newborns. Gases accumulated in the intestines cause pain and discomfort to the baby. A good SOS remedy is a massager and special exercises. Contact your pediatrician, he will show you how to do them correctly

Heat and cold

Children don't like being too hot or too cold. In both cases, they feel discomfort. In this regard, the question arises of how to understand that the baby is cold or hot.

If a toddler is overheated, he will whimper sluggishly and throw his legs and arms to the sides. Touch it: the skin will be hot. Infants 3-5 months and older may already sweat, so skin may be wet. The folds on his body will be especially indicative. Sweat will accumulate there.

If a child is constantly wrapped up, a problem such as prickly heat may arise. Itchy and itchy red pimples sometimes cover the baby's entire body. This will be another reason for the newborn to cry.

If the baby is cold, then his crying is similar to screams, which eventually turn into moans and whimpers. At the same time, the child actively jerks his legs and arms. Hiccups are often a symptom of hypothermia. It is worth noting here that hiccups are not always an indicator of hypothermia, but if the baby begins to hiccup, then you should first check if he is cold. This is easy to check. Touch his arms and legs. If they are cold, put socks and mittens (scratchies) on them. The back, chest and tummy will help to accurately determine whether the baby is cold. If they are cool, then insulate your child.

Crying in a dream

Almost all mothers have noticed that their infant cries in his sleep. There may be several reasons for this:

emotional overload, leading to nervous fatigue, which is expressed by twitching of the limbs during sleep, sobbing and sharp paroxysmal crying;
colic (at the same time the baby tightens his legs, screams sharply, strains) or other pain;
a newborn cries when he wants to feel his mother nearby;
unpleasant, frightening dreams.

Don't wait for the baby to finally wake up. Take the crying baby in your arms and rock him, give him breastfeeding. In most cases, this is what he needs.

Other reasons

If all the child's needs are met, but he continues to cry, you should pay attention to the following reasons.

Diaper

Perhaps he is already too small for the child and is pinching his legs. Check to see if it leaves red streaks on his skin. If it does, then it’s time to think about buying diapers that match the baby’s weight.

The toddler will also cry if he empties into the diaper, or the diaper is full of urine, and mommy still doesn’t think of changing it. It is very uncomfortable for the baby to lie in a dirty diaper, and he, of course, will worry and fuss.

Allergy

It is necessary to carefully and regularly examine the baby’s body for the occurrence of allergic reactions. Rashes and redness can itch and cause anxiety in the child.

Teeth

Most children start teething no earlier than 6 months. If your baby is already about six months old, then you can slowly check his gums. Crying may well be due to this reason. It’s easy to recognize “teeth”: the baby will put its fists in its mouth, scratch its gums, drool, and be nervous. Some children develop a fever.

There are several ways to calm your child:

first, buy him a special “tooth scratcher” with water inside. It is placed in the refrigerator, the water cools down and pleasantly cools the baby’s gums, bringing him relief;
secondly, buy a special freezing gel for the gums, which will eliminate discomfort.

Is it good to cry?

On the Internet (and some of our grandmothers also think so) you can find statements that crying is useful for an infant: in this way the lungs open and develop. But that's not true. In fact, it is harmful for a baby to cry; it negatively affects his health and character.

Despite the popular belief that crying is good for children, this is not true. Frequent and too long crying, not to mention “rolling up” crying, is dangerous to your health! Don’t leave your baby alone with your infant “problems”, take him in your arms and don’t be afraid that he will be spoiled

Nikolai Pavlovich Shabalov, a famous Russian pediatrician and neonatologist, MD, talks about the dangers of crying in his book “Childhood Diseases”. Moreover, he considers crying (especially with “rolling up”) to be dangerous to health, explaining this by the fact that when crying for a long time, the baby breathes shallowly, which causes the function of the diaphragm to decrease and the ventilation of the lower parts of the lungs to be disrupted. Some areas of the lung may even “switch off” from the breathing process.

If a child cries all the time, and even rolls up, then the result will be the occurrence of bronchospasm, and then atelectasis will develop - a condition of the lungs characterized by a complete or partial absence of air in them. Complications of atelectasis are pneumonia, pneumosclerosis and bronchiectasis.

Important to remember

Healthy children don't cry for no reason! If a newborn is constantly crying, this is not normal, you need to figure out what is bothering him and eliminate the discomfort.

Don't leave a crying child unattended! In addition to the above reasons, the baby may fall, get confused, hit himself, a leg or arm may get stuck in the bars of the bed, he may hit himself with a toy, and much more. etc. If you hear crying, you need to come up and check why the baby is crying.

For a child who does not yet speak, crying is the only way to tell his parents about his needs and worries. Even experienced mothers and dads who already have two or more children sometimes don’t know how to calm their newborn when he cries, because the kids are not alike. Try to keep your composure and try different ways- you will definitely find one that is perfect for your baby.

Why is it so important to manage your feelings? The child has established with you even before birth emotional connection and is sensitive to the mother’s condition. You can’t worry and be horrified or show dissatisfaction - the problem is only misunderstanding, and sooner or later it will disappear. Give yourself the word to approach your child in a positive state of mind, because he is counting on you so much. You will see: the more you communicate, the less frequent, quieter and shorter the attacks will be. bad mood.

A newborn never screams unnecessarily. Crying cannot be ignored! It is not good for the lungs or “character building” - it weakens the nervous system of the baby, who begins to doubt the friendliness of this world. A dangerous consequence of a long, heart-rending cry is an umbilical hernia.

Food, environment and related issues

Not all children easily adapt to external conditions. For the initial adaptation of the immature digestive and nervous system, three months must pass after birth. The most common time of “bad mood” during the day is from 16 to 20 hours. Let's take a closer look various reasons anxiety.

Hunger and feeding

How to calm a newborn if you don’t know the reasons yet? Logic will help. For example: if you have a relatively established feeding schedule, you can guess when your baby wants to eat and when she’s just calling for you. If, while you were feeding him, he ate a little and then woke up earlier than usual, he is hungry and needs more. An observation diary will help you record such moments: at what time and how the child cries, what pacifies him.

Breastfeeding is a great way to calm your baby, but he may tear himself away from his food and scream loudly.

What's happening	What to do
Difficulty breathing (stuffy nose)	Clean your nose using children's irrigation drops and a pharmacy bulb (squeeze before inserting into the nose)
If the crying does not recur, the child has simply swallowed a lot. If it continues, there may be inflammation in the ear (otitis), which may be accompanied by active movements of the head, attempts by the child to scratch the ears and head around them, redness of the nose, discharge from the ear, or inflammation in the mouth (thrush, stomatitis)	For otitis media, place special drops in the ears and children's vasoconstrictor drops in the nose. For inflammation in the oral cavity, treat with a cotton swab dipped in a 2% soda solution. Show your child to the doctor
Teeth cutting	Lightly “scratch” the swollen gums with a finger wrapped in a clean bandage (or a cooled piece of cucumber or apple). Give a chilled teething ring. Use an antipruritic pain reliever. For fever (above 38.5°C), give antipyretic for children
Don't like the taste	Particles of rancid milk may remain on the nipple. Breast treatment products smell “foreign” and are unpleasant for the baby, so you just need to rinse your breasts before feeding boiled water. Avoid foods with strong tastes or odors
Crying after eating with legs pulled towards stomach	Air enters the tummy along with food (this can be understood by loud smacking during feeding). After eating, give your baby vertical position, shake up and down to remove excess air

To calm your newborn baby, you don't have to feed him right away - try rocking him for a while. He will either console himself and fall asleep, or show that he really wants to eat (for example, he will begin to actively suck his fists).

By rocking, we mean a slight rocking of a small amplitude, and not “hooting” down, as some grandmothers like to do. Also, do not shake the baby - this is dangerous for his health and even life. Due to the proportionally large head and incompletely formed blood vessels and nerves, all this is fraught with serious problems with the nervous system and vision and can even cost life.

To make sure that the baby is getting enough food, weigh him regularly, monitor his weight gain and, if necessary and recommended by the pediatrician, increase the amount of feeding. When feeding an adapted milk formula, crying occurs from thirst, so you should have a bottle of drinking water with you.

Colic and bowel movements

The word “colic” does not come from the word “to stab”, but from the Greek “pain in the colon” (“kolicos”), that is, pain in digestive system due to accumulated gases. This usually happens after the last feeding, late in the evening. Here are a few signs that can help you recognize colic in babies:

shrill, intermittent screams;
red face;
clenching fists;
pressing the legs to the stomach followed by sharp straightening;
swollen, “hard” belly.

Intestinal spasms associated with gas formation occur at 3-4 months of life, more often in boys than in girls, and, as a rule, in first-born children. Intestinal colic can occur in a baby if its mother is anxious or has eaten something wrong.

You can calm a baby with colic in this way:

place a diaper or bag filled with flaxseed(ironed with a hot iron);
hold the baby upright, carry it a little until it burps;
With a warm hand, stroke the tummy clockwise, from the navel, gradually increasing the circles, then place the baby on the stomach;
“frog”: feet connected, knees bent to the sides (facilitates the passage of gases and feces);
“bicycle”: taking the legs of a lying baby, use them to circular movements in the air;
thigh massage;
after feeding - dill water or pharmaceutical product from colic.

Parents talk about another in an unusual way: if you put your baby in a sling or simply put his tummy on your stomach, then skin-to-skin contact - the same as immediately after birth - improves the baby’s mood and well-being.

The child may cry when urinating, and if this happens systematically against the background elevated temperature- this is inflammation bladder, and it's time to call a doctor.

Crying during bowel movements can be caused by formula feeding. Try to help a little by lubricating the pointed end of the thermometer with vegetable oil, inserting it into the newborn's anus and moving it back and forth. The baby will certainly feel better.

Discomfort

It is important for your baby to know that he is cared for and will be provided with excellent living conditions. Sometimes it is enough to hold him in your arms to calm him down, and talk to him peacefully, looking into his eyes affectionately and confidently (eye contact is important). But how to calm a crying baby if he simply does not like the environment and his own feelings?

What to do	The nature of crying	What's happening
Wet diaper or diaper	Whimpering, turning into crying, hiccups and fidgeting (trying to move away from the wet spot), even after you have already picked up the baby	Change the diaper (diaper), cover the baby with a blanket
Something is bothering you about the diaper or clothing	Crying immediately after swaddling or changing clothes	Check whether the child is swaddled comfortably, whether there are crumbs or threads in the clothes, whether the fastener is in the way, and whether the clothes are tight. Maybe it's made from artificial fabric causing allergies and itching? If yes, carefully change/change clothes
Uncomfortable position	Whimpering, waving arms and legs trying to roll over	Turn the newborn over, give him a different position
Uncomfortable temperature: hot and red / cold and pale skin on the stomach, back, chest, arms, legs, nose, possible rashes	Crying with sobs and hiccups	Change the baby's clothes

If nothing helps to comfort your child, and you notice obvious changes in his appearance or behavior for 2-3 days - most likely he got sick. Take his temperature and show it to the doctor. If the screams are monotonous and monotonous, and during breaks the baby looks lethargic, if the fontanel on his head swells even in a calm state, a doctor should be called immediately.

Psychological characteristics

Often the baby screams just to call you. The crying call is usually short-lived and repeated after pauses. After shouting a little, your child waits for a reaction. If no one approaches, the “signal” sounds again and again there is a pause. Each time the volume of the call increases, but as soon as it realizes that they are coming to it, the baby quiets down.

Talk to your child more often, take him in your arms: perhaps he is upset because he is lonely and wants communication.

Crying protest is easy to recognize: it appears immediately when you do something obviously “unpleasant” - changing clothes, cleaning your nose or ears. Since you can't stop doing this, when you're done, cuddle your baby or do something else that usually makes him happy.

Excited children scream for a long time, with angry intonations. How to calm a child so that his peculiarity does not become torture for himself and for the whole family?

Create friendly atmosphere: as few visitors as possible, a quiet room, quiet conversations, dim lights, measured and smooth actions during daily care.
Give me a pacifier.
Try swaddling your baby tightly so that he does not frighten himself with chaotic movements of his legs and arms.
Hug and rock the baby more (you can listen to soft music or a song performed by you).

One of the main reasons for inconsolable roaring is ordinary fatigue. Long periods of wakefulness (especially among large quantity familiar or not so familiar people), a day rich in events - all this leads to nervous tension. Please note: if a child cries at the end of every waking period, he is probably very tired. “Let it play out” is not the best best idea: Instead of getting tired and sleeping, as adults do, the child cannot sleep due to overexcitation.

What to do to calm your child before bed:

stop playing games, don’t entertain, don’t communicate too intensely;
ventilate the room (ideally, humidify the air in it);
rock in your arms or in a stroller (you can walk rhythmically and hum);
put in the crib and give a pacifier.

A “ritual” (the same sequence of actions) preceding sleep helps a lot. For example: feeding - bathing in a warm bath - laying down - turning on the night light and a lullaby - sleep.

If all irritating factors are eliminated, the child is healthy, but cries for no particular reason - perhaps he is tired or his fragile nervous system is simply making itself felt. But what to do if you need to calm your child quickly?

Harvey Karp's technique and other methods

In the first three months of life, children really need conditions that would remind them of life before birth, in the womb. Tightness, measured shaking, the sounds of the mother's body - create these conditions for babies, and they will gain a feeling of comfort at the level of instinct. This condition is called the “fourth trimester of pregnancy.”

Babies from birth to three months are the most difficult to soothe. Experienced pediatricians and child psychologists know this well. One of them, American doctor of medicine Harvey Karp, wrote the book “The Happiest Baby on the Block,” where he outlined his five-step technique for “turning off” a child’s crying.

Here are five of Harvey Karp's techniques that he's been teaching parents for 20 years. True, the doctor himself emphasizes that the techniques have been used for centuries, and he simply generalized this experience.

Swaddle tightly. Handles along the body. “Stiffness”, similar to that which the child felt back in the womb, with which he could even fall asleep, will return him a sense of security.
Create "white noise". Most newborns fall asleep well to the steady noise of a household appliance or water. “White noise” is an imitation of the sounds of the mother’s body. You can “make noise” yourself: leaning towards the child’s ear, say “ch-ch-ch” and “sh-sh-sh” - no less loudly than he screams.
Lay it down. Children should sleep on their back, but they can be calmed down by lying on their stomach or side, slightly face down. You can put the baby with his tummy on his hand (dads do this especially successfully).
Get motion sick. Place the baby in your arms, head on your palms, face down, and rock. The rocking should be quite fast, unsharp, with a small amplitude. Let the baby feel a “shaking” similar to what he felt when his mother walked during pregnancy - this will help him relax.
Feed. This is one of the most effective ways. And if the newborn is lying on his stomach, put a finger or pacifier in his mouth (the sucking reflex must be satisfied). If the nipple spits out, you need to pull it a little, as if taking it away - the child will try to catch it.

These methods help calm your baby down in 5 minutes. Let us remind you once again that they are suitable for infants up to three months. To calm an older child, you will need to distract him. The following methods are suitable for this.

Sling. Here from Dr. Karp's list - swaddling, measured shaking when walking, and “white noise” (for example, street noise). And, of course, maximum closeness to mom.
Switching attention. After three months the baby can pay attention to bright colors and clear sounds that interest and distract him.
Dancing together. Smooth movements, a quiet purr of a simple melody, a smile and conversation can work wonders. Then briefly give the breast (bottle, pacifier).

A child's natural need is to be close to you and tell you about all his problems. How to calm a baby? Don't stop him from screaming - sometimes he just needs to "relieve the tension", but not alone. Let him “express his sore points” to get rid of negative emotions, but at the same time, do not deprive him of care and quickly do everything possible to restore the baby’s feeling of happiness. Crying gives you new ways to understand your baby's needs and show your love for him.