Why does a child cry all day? Why does the child cry? Poor sleep and crying due to colic

There is a joyful event in your family - the long-awaited heir has been born! A happy dad meets a smiling mother at the door of the maternity hospital, holding in her hands a bundle tied with a blue or pink ribbon... And finally the whole family is home. The months of agonizing waiting and the hardships of childbirth are left behind...

But the very next day new problems appear. The young family member behaves unpredictably. Parents constantly wonder: how to determine why a child is crying? Is he hungry or has a tummy ache? Maybe he is hot or cold? What if he is sick?

What to do, how to calm the baby? Is it really necessary to give him the breast right away anyway?

Of course not! Every mother gradually develops an instinct for her own child, thanks to which she can almost immediately determine what the baby needs at the moment. The most sensitive and caring fathers can also come to full understanding with the child. But usually the mother spends much more time with the baby, and besides, she breastfeeds him, thanks to which a very special contact is established between them.

True, it takes some time for such contact to be established. This usually occurs no later than three months of age. Therefore, for many parents, the third month of a baby’s life seems much easier than the first two.

In the first days and weeks, mother and newborn get used to each other. A caring mother learns to understand and respond to signals given by the baby. With each new day, she needs less and less time to recognize and correctly interpret these signals. And the baby, seeing that he is understood, becomes calmer and cries less.

However, the gas outlet tube should not be overused. If attacks of pain occur frequently, you can try abdominal massage, which also stimulates the removal of gases from the intestines. The massage is performed by gently pressing on the abdomen around. Mentally draw a horseshoe on your tummy, the ends of which point down. Your hand movements should follow this path in a clockwise direction.

A good way to prevent gas formation is to burp air during and immediately after feeding. During the break when changing breasts and after finishing feeding, hold the baby vertically on your shoulder for several minutes. This helps prevent not only the formation of gases, but also milk, which affects many children. But in fairness, it must be said that this measure does not always avoid abdominal pain.

If massage and tubes don't help, the pain may not be due to gas. Try placing your baby's tummy on a warm heating pad wrapped in a diaper. However, make sure that the heating pad is not too hot.

Warm fennel tea or dill water also helps many children.

How to calm your baby

But now you have tried all the methods, and your precious baby continues to burst out screaming. Then you can only rely on time, which, as you know, heals, and try to ease the baby’s suffering. Hold him in your arms, rock him, dance with him. Some children find waltzing a relief, while others enjoy something like marching. Try different positions - hold the baby vertically, horizontally, tummy down. A position in which the baby's head rests on the crook of your elbow, and your hand supports him under his tummy, at the same time working as a heating pad, helps a lot.

After two months of age, your little one has a new reason to cry. Now your child often cries because he is tired and cannot fall asleep on his own. He still does not know how to relieve accumulated psychological stress without the help of mom or dad. To calm down, he needs either his mother's breast, or a gentle rocking in his arms, or a song...

Don't be afraid to spoil your child, rock him, sing to him. A calm mother's child also grows up calm and balanced. In a couple of months he will learn to fall asleep on his own, and motion sickness will no longer be necessary. But for this he must be firmly convinced that when he feels bad, anxious, restless, his mother will always come to the rescue.

Physical discomfort

Why do newborn babies cry? Crying can be caused by various factors. One of them is an instinctive reluctance to be alone. If a child under 1 month of age screams and cries due to this circumstance, then it is easy to calm him down: take him in your arms, look into his eyes, say something in a calm, gentle voice.

Didn't help? It is likely that the newborn is crying due to a more serious problem - physical discomfort caused by uncomfortable clothing, improper room conditions, and so on. The exact reason can be understood by the way the child cries:

Reason for crying	Features of behavior	How to calm your baby?
Wet clothes (diaper, nappy)	The child hiccups, cries, fidgets, trying not to touch what is wet.	Remove wet clothes, clean and dry the skin, put on new underwear.
Uncomfortable clothing (improper swaddling)	The baby begins to scream indignantly immediately after putting on new clothes or swaddling.	Discomfort can be caused by snaps, buttons, snakes, threads, crumbs or seams that dig into delicate skin. Items may be too tight or hard. Clothing made from synthetic fabrics with dyes causes itching. The baby should be changed quickly.
Uncomfortable position	The newborn whines, cries, waves his arms and legs, trying to change his position.	The baby needs to be placed differently.
Too hot or cold	The baby is sobbing. Signs of overheating are hot and red skin, and in advanced cases, a rash. Manifestations of hypothermia are pale and cold skin.	The newborn should be changed according to the temperature conditions in the room.

A wet diaper may be the cause of your baby's fussy movements and crying.

Feeling hungry and feeding problems

A common reason why newborns cry is hunger. In the first weeks, most babies hang on their chest almost all the time. Then lactation is established, and an approximate schedule is developed, but at one of the meals the baby may eat less than it should. Of course, he will start demanding milk out of schedule and screaming loudly. If the newborn quickly calms down after applying to the breast or bottle, the cause of the crying was hunger.

The baby started to eat, but started crying again? So something is bothering him. Problems that may occur during or after feeding and lead to crying:

Problem	Features of behavior	What to do?
Nasal congestion	The baby begins to suckle on the breast or bottle, but then quits and screams in irritation. Sniffles or snores.	Clean your nose with a special aspirator (bulb), rinse with drops (saline), and drip a drug prescribed by your doctor for a runny nose.
Swallowed a lot of milk	The crying is short and not repeated.	Wait a little.
Otitis	When swallowing, the pain in the ear intensifies, so the baby stops eating and screams loudly.	Place vasoconstrictor drops into the nose and special painkillers into the ears. Contact your doctor.
Stomatitis	A sign of candidal stomatitis (thrush) is a white coating on the oral mucosa. The baby feels a burning sensation and refuses to eat.	Wipe the mouth with a weak soda solution (2%). Visit the doctor.
Specific taste of milk (mixture)	The baby tries to eat, but then turns away from the breast or bottle.	The consumption of certain foods - onions, garlic, lamb and others - causes a change in the taste of milk. They should not be eaten in large quantities. In addition, mom should not use cosmetics with a strong aroma.
Air got into the stomach	Immediately after or during a meal, the baby pulls its legs towards its stomach and screams.	You need to take the baby in a “column”, leaning your stomach against your chest. This will allow excess air to escape.

A cooled teether helps relieve pain and itching of swollen gums

It is wrong to immediately offer the breast or bottle to a baby when he is crying. To begin with, you should pick him up and rock him. If these actions do not help calm him down, the child cries pitifully and shows that he wants to eat - sucks his fists, smacks his lips, then feeding should not be postponed.

If your newborn is constantly crying, you should make sure that he is not starving. There are certain standards for weight gain for children under one year of age. It is worth weighing the baby periodically and comparing its growth with the standard. You should inform your pediatrician about the lag in the rate - he will recommend how to increase the volume of feedings.

When bottle-fed, the baby often cries not from hunger, but from thirst. It is necessary that mom always has a bottle of drinking water ready.

Colic and increased gas production

Why does the child constantly cry? At the age of 1-3 months, many children suffer from colic - severe painful cramps in the abdomen caused by stretching of the intestinal walls by gas bubbles. The main sign of colic is that the baby cries shrilly and inconsolably for a long time, taking short breaks. Additional symptoms:

facial redness;
“knocking” with legs;
bloating (hard belly);
clenching fists.

Colic is associated with the immaturity of the baby's digestive system, but poor nutrition or nervous tension of the nursing mother can aggravate the situation. For most children, the problem resolves when they are 3-4 months old.

What to do if a child cries due to abdominal pain? You can calm him down in one of the following ways:

put something warm on your tummy - an ironed diaper or a heated bag of flax seeds;
do a massage - with a warm hand, stroke around the navel clockwise;
put the baby on his stomach (not all children like this position);
carry the baby vertically to allow excess air to escape;
lay the baby on his back and give him a “frog” pose - bend his knees and put his feet together, thanks to this it is easier to pass gases; another effective exercise is to imitate riding a bicycle;
give medicine for colic prescribed by the doctor (Espumizan, Sub Simplex, Bobotik, BabyKali, etc.), or dill water (we recommend reading:);
place the baby with his bare stomach on his stomach, ensuring skin-to-skin contact;
place the baby in the sling facing you.

Problems emptying your bladder or bowels

Why else does a baby have to cry? Possible causes are cystitis and constipation. Inflammation of the bladder (cystitis) is accompanied by pain when urinating and fever. The condition requires urgent medical attention.

If your baby cries during bowel movements or strains and does not poop, he is constipated. Frequent problems with bowel movements can lead to the appearance of cracks in the rectum. The problem should be reported to your pediatrician. As symptomatic therapy you can use:

microenemas Microlax;
glycerin suppositories;
Lactulose syrup (has a delayed effect, causing stool the next day).

Constipation can be a cause of painful discomfort for a child.

Some physiological causes of crying

Why does an infant sometimes cry? The sobbing of a newborn can be provoked by various painful conditions:

State	The essence	Symptoms	How to help a crying baby?
"Infant migraine"	Infants who were diagnosed at birth with perinatal encephalopathy (PEP) may suffer from headaches. This syndrome is characterized by increased pressure inside the skull, nervous excitability, and impaired muscle tone (increase or decrease).	Attacks of “infant migraine” occur when weather conditions change and atmospheric pressure changes. In addition, windy, cloudy or rainy weather can cause headaches. The baby screams, sleeps poorly, and shows anxiety. Vomiting and indigestion may occur.	In such a situation, it is impossible to do without the help of a specialist. It is necessary to visit a pediatrician or neurologist and tell about the problem.
Diaper rash (diaper rash)	Due to contact of the baby's skin with feces and urine, its acid-base balance is disrupted. The result is pain-inducing irritation.	Signs of diaper dermatitis: rash and redness in the perineum and buttocks; child's irritability; crying that gets worse when diapers are changed.	Necessary: use a healing agent (Bepanten cream); change diapers promptly; thoroughly cleanse the skin; periodically arrange “air baths”. If the irritation is very severe, a consultation with a doctor is required to prescribe treatment.
Teething	When your baby is teething, his gums become swollen, itchy and painful.	The baby sobs, pulls everything into his mouth to “gnaw.” He has increased salivation. In some cases, an increase in body temperature occurs.	Itchy gums can be “scratched” with a finger wrapped in a sterile bandage. A good way to help is a chilled teething ring. In addition, there are anesthetic gels that can be applied to the mucous membrane. For temperatures above 38.5°C, an antipyretic should be given.

If the baby cries piercingly for a long time, and it was not possible to find out the reason, you need to seek medical help

Psychological discomfort

Let's consider why a newborn baby may cry, because the reasons are not only physical, but also psychological. The most common of them are call, protest and accumulated fatigue:

A child cries more and more if he wants to attract the attention of an adult. The calling cry does not last long and is repeated at short intervals. The volume gradually increases. If you come to the baby, he will calm down. Dr. Komarovsky does not recommend picking up the baby right away. You can pet him or talk to him.
If a newborn baby begins to cry in protest, the cry is sharp and occurs immediately after an “inappropriate” action. Necessary procedures such as changing clothes, cutting nails, and cleaning ears can lead to resentment. They should be completed, and then caress the baby.
If your baby has become capricious and is crying a lot, he is probably tired. Hysterics can be provoked by being awake for too long, a large number of unfamiliar people around, a lot of impressions and events during the day.
If a newborn cries every time before going to bed, the daily routine is incorrect. Overwork prevents him from calming down.

A child's crying due to fatigue can be calmed by the following:

end/exclude active and emotional games;
ventilate the room and humidify the air in it;
switch to calm communication;
rock, sing a lullaby;
put him to bed and give him a pacifier.

If the child is tired, you should calmly lay him down and help him fall asleep

You can prevent an infant from crying by following a certain sequence of actions (ritual) every evening. Most babies are helped to fall asleep by the following combination: bathing - feeding - putting them to bed - turning off the main lighting - turning on the night light - a lullaby.

If the reason for the crying of a newborn at the age of 1-3 months is psychological discomfort, the advice of the American doctor Harvey Karp will help to quickly lull him to sleep:

Swaddling. There is no need to constantly wrap your baby in diapers, but wrapping will help quickly calm a child who is fussy and crying before bed. It is important to close the handles. It is better to use modern elastic diapers.
Wiggle. If a newborn rolls up and cries, you should rock him. The baby should be picked up so that he is lying on his side and begin smooth movements with a small amplitude.
"White noise" Hissing sounds spoken in a quiet voice help calm the child. It is recommended to combine their playback with rhythmic rocking.
Sucking. Is your baby crying inconsolably? The best way to calm him down is to give him the opportunity to satisfy his sucking reflex. A pacifier, mother's breast or a bottle with a small amount of formula will help with this. However, the toddler should not be allowed to overeat.

Sometimes, to calm the baby, it is enough for the mother to rock him in her arms

Calming a baby over 3 months old

A child who constantly cries at 2 months can be calmed using one of the described methods. If a baby older than 3-4 months rolls up, there is no point in swaddling him or “hissing” him. During this period, a crying infant must be distracted from the problem that is upsetting him.

Why is my child constantly fussy and crying? This question is relevant for parents of infants and preschool children. Therefore, we want to look at this problem in more detail.

Why is a child naughty?

Most mothers and fathers are faced every day with a child’s reluctance to eat, sleep, get dressed, go to kindergarten or go for a walk. The baby cries, refuses to comply with the proposed demands, and sometimes just screams or whines. There are several main reasons for this behavior:

Physical - this group includes various illnesses, fatigue, hunger, desire to drink or sleep. The child feels bad, but cannot understand why this happened. Therefore, it is so important for parents to follow a daily routine, feed, drink and put the baby to bed on time.
The child requires attention - most children's tantrums can be prevented by increasing the time of communication. A mother's love is as important to a little person as air. If he does not receive the right amount of attention, he will “pull” it in every possible way. Therefore, there is no need to wait for the baby to start hysterical. Just leave what you are doing, turn off your phone, the Internet and hug your child. Play with him, ask for news and spend time together.
The child wants to get what he wants - the little man understands perfectly where the parents’ pain points are and knows how to put pressure on them. Therefore, if mom or dad pays off the whims financially, then the child will quickly learn to use the new scheme. It is very important to teach a child to negotiate and look for new solutions to his problems.

Nature has designed it in such a way that a child’s crying evokes a strong emotional reaction in adults. This is very good, because sometimes reflection saves the life and health of a little person. If a child cries all the time, then you need to understand why he does this.

Infants

Many parents remember the age from birth to three or four months with horror. Why is the child constantly capricious and crying during this period? The following reasons can be identified:

The baby is hungry - sometimes the mother does not have enough milk or the artificial formula does not suit him. If a child does not gain weight well, doctors recommend starting additional complementary feeding.
Colic is thought to be caused by gas in the intestines. Therefore, a nursing mother should monitor her diet and exclude a number of foods containing fiber. In addition, the pediatrician usually prescribes drops that help improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
A cold or ear infection - a doctor will help eliminate this problem. And the mother must promptly report any problems that have arisen and changes in the baby’s behavior.
Wet diapers - many children react sharply to untimely change of clothes. Therefore, you should use diapers or change your child’s clothes on time.
Feeling of loneliness - children miss adults and calm down immediately after being held.

Unfortunately, it is very difficult for inexperienced parents to determine why a child is constantly naughty and crying. Therefore, they should listen carefully to the baby and respond to his needs immediately.

Whims in one year

When the baby grows up, he faces the first prohibitions. Children often react very violently: they scream, throw things, and stomp their feet. If parents are aware of age-related characteristics, then, to the extent possible, they will be able to prevent What to do when a child (1 year old) screams and cries? The baby is capricious for various reasons. So first you need to define them:

A child is capricious due to illness or internal conflict - he does not understand why he feels bad, and expresses his protest in a way that is accessible to him.
Protests against excessive care - wants more freedom, refuses clothing offered or returning home from a walk.
Strives to copy his parents - let him participate in his affairs. Thanks to this, you will be able to constantly be nearby, and at the same time teach your baby to use new objects.
Reacts to emotional stress - excessive severity and control causes the child to have bouts of crying. Therefore, try to treat him as a person, and not an object that must unquestioningly carry out your will.

Don't forget that there are also invisible reasons for children's tears. Sometimes a child is constantly capricious and cries only because his temperament is of the weak type. This means that the baby quickly becomes overexcited, reacts sharply to stimuli and instantly gets tired. With age, he will learn to manage his behavior, but for now it is important to monitor his daily routine and timely rest.

Two years

At this difficult age, even the most docile children turn into little tyrants. Parents complain that they cannot cope with the whims and demands of the baby. Many children have problems sleeping, there is increased excitability, and sometimes the first tantrums. So, what causes of whims can be identified when a child is 2 years old:

Socialization - at this age, a child must learn new rules of communication and interaction with other people. Therefore, he reacts sharply to restrictions that affect his independence and freedom of action.
Mastering speech - until the child can formulate in words what he feels or wants to do. Therefore, he relieves nervous tension by screaming and crying.
Unspent energy - it is very important that the baby can actively move and play during the day. Stiffness leads to the fact that in the evening he cannot calm down and fall asleep.
Emotional stress - the baby feels the emotions of adults, has a hard time experiencing family conflicts and quarrels between adults.

When a child is 2 years old, he enters a crisis phase. Therefore, it is so important to treat his personal problems with understanding and respond to them correctly.

Crisis of three years

The new stage of the baby’s development is accompanied by a violent reaction on his part. At this age, he becomes aware of himself as an individual, and the pronoun “I” appears in his speech. The child tries to do everything himself, but does not always succeed. Therefore, he “takes revenge” on his parents with tears and screams. What should I do? Psychologists advise to come to terms with the situation and just get through it.

What to do if your child is constantly naughty and crying

Each parent finds his own solution to the problem. The chosen path will not always lead to a positive result, and sometimes it even worsens the situation. What to do if the baby is crying:

When to see a doctor

Experts consider it normal for a baby to show his dissatisfaction two or three times a week. If a child is constantly capricious and cries, and even more so throws real tantrums, then this is a reason to seek help from a qualified specialist. Perhaps just a few visits to a child psychologist will help restore peace and tranquility in the family.

Conclusion

Every parent should understand that whims at an early age are absolutely normal. Therefore, it is so important to learn to recognize the causes and eliminate them in time.

From the moment of birth, the most key signal for a child until he learns to speak normally and explain himself in words is crying. At an early age, it belongs to the universal mechanism of communication; with it, the baby expresses the whole palette of his feelings and emotions, demonstrates his desires and emotions. It often happens that a newborn often screams and cries, giving no peace to himself or his parents. What could be causing sleep problems and his cries? How to recognize a child’s signals and promptly eliminate their causes?

Table of contents:

Development of crying and sleep problems

For a newborn baby, crying is a way to signal any unpleasant, uncomfortable or painful sensations.

When a newborn is healthy and well-fed, nothing bothers him; he spends most of the time in the first weeks of his life sleeping. Therefore, for the most part, through crying, the child expresses his emotions, complains of poor health, and parents should not ignore such signals.

But young parents often do not understand why the child screams, sobs inconsolably and cannot fall asleep. Gradually, over time, they already distinguish the source of problems by the intonation and strength of the cry, its tone and the behavior of the baby. There are relatively simple and easily remediable causes of lack of sleep and crying, although more serious, painful and dangerous conditions are quite possible.

The main causes of crying in newborns

There are completely physiological and obvious reasons for crying in children, because of which he cannot sleep. These include:

When applied to the breast or when the baby is given a bottle of formula, he calms down and becomes quiet. Infants can also quench their thirst by latching on to the breast, and for this, breastfeeding babies need to be given water in a bottle. At first, until an approximate feeding rhythm has been established, the baby may often cry when he is hungry.

Please note

It is important not to ignore the baby’s demands, waiting for a certain hour for feeding, otherwise the crying will turn into hysterics, during which it will be extremely difficult to calm and feed the raging baby. If the baby is immediately understood and fed on time, he usually falls asleep.

Crying and sleep problems when overstimulated

Most often, a child cannot sleep and screams or cries due to overexcitation. His nervous system is very vulnerable and immature; it often needs rest in order to restore efficiency, control the functioning of all organs and systems and develop.

Exhaustion of nervous processes occurs the sooner the younger the baby is.

Please note

If, simultaneously with fatigue, the child received too many new impressions and emotions, this will lead to even greater fatigue of his nervous system. As a result, the child cannot sleep, although he is very tired, which is why he screams, cries and cannot calm down. As a result, hysterics are formed with choking screams and cries, which greatly frightens parents.

It is important to avoid overwork and hysterics, monitoring the condition and well-being of the baby. This can be achieved by observing a strict daily routine, where there will be enough time to sleep, all the necessary hygiene procedures and all the conditions for a comfortable stay and falling asleep. This is a cozy and clean room, well ventilated, with a comfortable temperature and humidity. You should not create crumbs of ideal silence for sleep from birth; he should sleep under normal family living conditions, this will help make sleep less sensitive and intermittent.

To prevent the child from becoming overexcited, doctors do not recommend his presence at noisy and public events, concerts and long trips. It is worth at least for the first time to protect him from a large number of guests and strangers. This will not only give the child peace of mind, but will also protect him from unnecessary encounters with infections, which can also disturb sleep and lead to crying.

If the child is tired after visiting guests, has not slept for a long time and has started screaming, you need to pick him up, put him to your chest, rock him in your arms and calm him down. Some children benefit from tight swaddling or wrapping in a blanket, while others benefit from a warm bath, which relaxes and soothes the baby.

Sleep problems and crying in bowel disorders

Often a child cannot sleep and constantly cries due to problems with natural needs - defecation or urination. Many children may cry or whine before emptying their bladder, even if there are no health problems, simply not understanding what is happening to them and being frightened by this fact. In this case, there is no need to worry; usually there are slight whimpers followed by wetness of the diaper. However, sleep disturbances and constant crying, kicking and screaming when urinating, or straining heavily before wetting your panties are a warning sign. This may be a sign of abnormalities in the structure of the urinary tract, inflammation in the area of the bladder walls, and in boys, problems with the penis and its structure.

If a child is constantly restless, the process of urine excretion leads to screaming, and the body temperature also rises, you should immediately consult a doctor and get tested (at least general tests).

Often, problems with bowel movements also lead to sleep disorders and crying with screams. Especially against the background of artificial feeding, which leads to incorrect selection of the formula, inaccurate dilution, or lack of fluid in the body. Defecation is especially unpleasant if there are cracks in the anus, due to straining and dense stool. In this case, the baby will toss and turn, grunt, wince and scream loudly, especially against the backdrop of a prolonged absence of stool. Because of screams and constant fruitless attempts, the baby sleeps poorly, his tummy is swollen, and it is important to consult a doctor to identify and eliminate the causes of constipation.

Poor sleep and crying due to colic

In the period from approximately three weeks of age to three months, when the intestinal wall gradually matures and the formation of microflora occurs, many children suffer from diseases that literally plague some children and deprive them of rest and sleep. Colic is not a disease, it is a temporary and transient phenomenon associated with the accumulation of gases in the intestines. They stretch the intestinal loops and irritate pain receptors, which creates spasm and discomfort, especially in the late afternoon, when the nervous system is already tired and irritated. Against the background of colic, the child often sleeps poorly, wakes up crying and screams; in the evening, periods of crying can last up to several hours until the spasms and pain subside.

Please note

Signs of colic will be sharp crying and screaming with tucking in the legs and straining, redness of the face, bulging of the fontanel, sometimes with transitions into hysterics. The cry is sharp and loud, painful, with arching in the arms, tension in the abdomen.

It is important that parents know how to help their baby to alleviate his condition. You need to massage the tummy, bend the legs to help expel gases, carry him in your arms with his tummy down, rock him and soothe him. If colic has become daily and severe, sometimes you can help with medications that a doctor can recommend; they are selected individually; they do not always help and not all children.

Temperature disturbances as a cause of crying

If adults, having a perfect thermoregulation system and the ability to dress or undress according to the weather, do not suffer much from temperature fluctuations, then for newborns this is a serious problem. They are extremely uncomfortable both in freezing and overheating conditions, but they cannot unwrap themselves or dress warmer, and therefore they sleep poorly and cry. At an early age, hypothermia is dangerous, if it is severe and prolonged, and for this it is necessary for the baby to be undressed for at least half an hour in an extremely cool room, or even in the cold. In other cases, with mild freezing, children, by waking up, screaming and crying, actively moving their legs and arms, activate their metabolism and warm up. This is a defense mechanism. After they have calmed down and warmed up, sleep returns to normal.

But overheating for a child is much more dangerous than slight freezing, since in this case the protective mechanisms do not work, especially if there is thick swaddling or a large amount of clothing carefully put on the baby by mothers and grandmothers.

Overheating leads to inhibition of metabolic processes, suppression of the immune system and disruption of brain development.

During the newborn period and the first six months or so, the sweating mechanisms are imperfect, and the baby cannot fully cool the body. Then sleep suffers, the baby cannot fall asleep and screams, cries, and blushes. In the area of skin folds, against the background of overheating, there may be diaper rash and prickly heat throughout the body, which only increases the discomfort and suffering of the baby. Itching and pain of the skin, redness and the risk of infection further disrupt sleep and constantly provoke crying. In this case, it will be constant and monotonous, on one note, with the transition to whimpers, or flow into hysterics.

Restless sleep and crying

Many parents are extremely concerned about their children's poor sleep, with constant waking up and crying in their sleep, after which it is difficult to put them back to sleep. This is due to several reasons, usually easily removable and not dangerous, but requiring the attention of mom and dad. This:

You should not wait for the baby to fully awaken and scream; you need to immediately respond to his signals by picking him up and calming him, putting him to his chest or giving him a bottle or pacifier. This will help you not go into hysterics and calm down, falling asleep peacefully.

External causes, discomfort and crying

If the baby is not hungry and not tired, and he cries and does not want to sleep, the reasons for this may be quite banal inconvenience from wet diapers, a leaky or overfilled diaper, or chafing seams of clothes. It is important to timely select diapers by size, so that they do not press or rub the delicate skin, and also change them in a timely manner so that stool and urine do not irritate the perineum and do not lead to painful sensations.

Painful Causes of Sleeping and Crying Disorders

They can cause poor restless sleep or difficulty falling asleep, as well as causes of hysterics and crying, the presence of skin diseases, or. Thus, against the background of skin pathologies and allergic rashes, severe itching of the skin usually occurs, which simply does not allow one to sleep, the child screams, rubs against the crib, worries, his condition can be alleviated by consulting a doctor and determining the cause of the skin lesion, using local or systemic drugs against inflammation and itching, allergies.

In most children, teething begins after six months, but some may experience this phenomenon earlier. Therefore, one of the leading problems in the second half of the year, which leads to hysterics, crying and sleep disorders, is discomfort in the gum area with itching, swelling and unpleasant sensations. Often the baby puts everything in his mouth, tries to chew toys and sucks his fists, he has a lot of saliva. In these cases, special cooling teethers, dryers, rubber toys, as well as the use of teething gels for severe anxiety can help.

What are the dangers of frequent crying and sleep disorders?

Many parents and the older generation do not see anything wrong with their children’s crying, letting them “scream it out” and making no attempt to calm them down. This is not a physiological method of dealing with crying, whatever its cause, especially if the child also sleeps poorly.

Crying loads and overstimulates the nervous system, threatening the development of “rolling” with periods of respiratory arrest and acute hypoxia of the brain. This will have an extremely negative impact on the development of the child, leading to nervousness and anxiety, difficulties in learning and disinhibition of arousal processes.

Alena Paretskaya, pediatrician, medical columnist

Lyudmila Sergeevna Sokolova

Reading time: 6 minutes

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Article last updated: 04/29/2019

From the moment a baby is born until he begins to speak, crying is the main way of communication. This is the only way he can show what he wants, complain that something is bothering him, something is getting in the way. It happens that a baby cries not because of discomfort, but because of whims, but if the crying is accompanied by a lack of sleep, then parents should take it very seriously and quickly identify why the child is worried.

Features of baby crying

The baby's first cry is his cry immediately after birth. It is a protest against separation from his mother. Based on the strength of this cry, doctors draw conclusions about the viability of the child and his state of health. A newborn cries often, but over time he begins to cry less often, and the mother can already understand what exactly the baby requires.

It is important to know that crying is harmful to the baby! It does not train the lungs and does not strengthen character, but on the contrary, it weakens the nervous system and deprives one of confidence in the safety and friendliness of the world around us. Prolonged crying can lead to the formation of an umbilical hernia.

Older children may cry due to whims, but this does not apply to one-month-old babies. The crying of a child who is only a month old is a reaction to a real problem. Therefore, you need to react to it immediately - take the baby in your arms, rock, soothe.

Why does the baby cry and not sleep?

A one-month-old baby may have trouble sleeping and cry constantly due to hunger. Even if he has eaten recently, there is a possibility that he is not full. This happens when a baby is placed incorrectly at the breast. He takes only the nipple into his mouth, without the areola, the milk flows poorly, he gets tired and falls asleep hungry. Hungry crying sounds demanding and intermittent.

Even if the child is full, his sucking reflex could remain unsatisfied. If the baby is breastfed, then he himself tries to satisfy this reflex, often and for a long time lying at the mother's breast. Formula-fed babies need pacifiers.

Parents of formula-fed children should carefully monitor the amount of food their child eats. The formula from the bottle begins to flow immediately and flows out quickly (not like milk from the breast), so the baby quickly gets full, but continues to suck the formula to satisfy the sucking reflex and as a result overeats. Overeating after eating can cause stomach pain and disturb sleep.

Why does a one-month-old baby cry after feeding? The baby’s digestive system is not yet strong and is in the phase of development and adaptation to the conditions of the surrounding world. Indigestion can be caused by foods consumed by a nursing mother. Due to the mother's abuse of gas-forming foods (cow's milk, legumes, vegetables and fruits rich in fiber) or as a result of the baby swallowing air during feeding, bloating occurs. It becomes hard and painful sensations appear. Many children suffer from colic, which begins at one month of age and ends after 3 months. Some experience it earlier, some later, but for all, colic completely stops by six months - the beginning of the period of introducing complementary foods.

The baby swallows a large amount of air during feeding when it is not applied correctly to the breast. This happens due to an uncomfortable feeding position. Artificial babies swallow air if the hole in the nipple of the bottle is too large. After feeding, you need to hold the baby in a “column” position. By the way, an incorrectly selected formula can also cause colic, just like breast milk, if the child is intolerant to it.

Colic can be a sign of serious diseases of the stomach or intestines (gastrointestinal defects, enterocolitis, fermentopathy, dysbacteriosis).

With colic, the child begins to cry sharply and piercingly, clench his fists, his face turns red, his tummy becomes hard, he begins to twist his legs (either pressing them to his stomach, or straightening them completely). To help the gases escape faster, you can put a warm heating pad or an ironed diaper on your tummy. You can take a flax seed and sew it into fabric, making a small pillow. It needs to be ironed on both sides and applied to the sore tummy. Flax seed retains heat longer than just regular fabric.

When a baby is sick, he does not sleep and cries constantly. It could be a cold. Then the baby will develop symptoms such as fever, nasal congestion, and cough. A one-month-old baby can get a gastrointestinal infection. In this case, the sick baby may experience diarrhea and vomiting.

Sleep disturbance and the occurrence of painful sensations accompanied by crying are observed with increased intracranial pressure.

The baby suffers and does not sleep all day while teething. Such cases are rare per month, but they still happen.

In order for your child to sleep well, you must constantly ensure that he is clean and dry. Some children do not react at all to a wet, full diaper, while others cannot sleep peacefully in such a situation.

Parents should not choose a diaper brand based only on advertising or advice from friends. This hygiene item should be selected individually for the baby. It is better to try several brands to find the perfect diaper - one that absorbs well, does not sting, does not rub, does not press, does not leak liquid, does not cause irritation and diaper rash. If there is discomfort from wet diapers, the baby cries persistently and pitifully.

A one-month-old baby does not sleep and cries due to discomfort from uncomfortable baby clothes (with seams inward or restricting movement), loud sounds, bright light, stuffiness or cold.

If a child sneezes and actively moves his legs and arms, it means he is cold; if his face turns red and he begins to sweat, it means he is hot. Parents can rule out the occurrence of most of these negative factors in advance. They must constantly maintain the required temperature (up to 22 degrees) and humidity (at least 60%) in the baby’s room, ventilate and wash the room every day, dim the lights (thick curtains) before going to bed, and try not to create sources of loud and harsh noise. Of course, it is not possible to foresee everything in advance, so the regular noise of a drill or hammer from a neighboring apartment where renovations are underway can become a problem.

If a month-old baby does not sleep, then the reason for this may be a feeling of loneliness and defenselessness. The baby needs to constantly feel the mother’s warmth and smell nearby, and hear his native voice.