Newborn Crying Tips
Author Name: Heidi Holvoet, PhD
Your newborn
crying
at
birth
:
what lovelier sound is there to hear? Filling her lungs with air, she
lets you know she is here, loud and clear.
Crying is also the first way for your newborn to
communicate
with
you. In the first weeks and months after birth, crying is part
of how baby
talks
to you. It lets her tell you she's hungry, uncomfortable, cold, in
pain, is sad or needs your help.
So newborn crying is very normal. Most of the time, you will very
easily soothe
her,
simply by giving her what she needs: a cuddle, feeding, a clean diaper, etc.
There may be times when soothing your crying baby is
not so easy
.
Colic
Many newborn babies have a so-called
crying time
,
usually in late afternoon or evening. For no apparent reason,
a baby then cries, and is not easily soothed. This is what most people
refer to with
baby colic
.
There is no
unique explanation for it and it is not necessarily related to cramps
or any other digestion problem.
Colic
in infants
usually starts around 3 weeks old, peaks at 6 to 8
weeks
and most babies grow out of it by the age of 3 or 4 months.
What to do?
Soothe your baby as much as you can. Many parents worry about holding
their babies too much, fearing they will
spoil
them but no
worries. Research shows that babies cannot be spoilt until the age of 8
months old. A tiny baby needs your help and reassurance and you can
give her all of that, without holding back. Of course always in
accordance with how you feel and what you feel is right.
Classic
tricks to help
soothe your crying newborn
are all good: holding and
rocking, (breast)feeding, singing a
lullaby
,
holding and walking her through the room, put her in the stroller and
go for walk, put her in the car seat and go for a drive, use a
baby
sling
, a baby swing, a rocking chair, etc.br>
What helps a lot when trying to soothe a crying baby is when
you are calm and relaxed
yourself. Which is not always easy with a crying baby nearby, I know.
Taking a few long deep breaths can help, and remember that you are
helping your baby. Don't take it personal, she is not trying to annoy
you, she can't help it either. If you have your partner or anyone else
around, do not hesitate to have them try to soothe your baby.
Cry Baby - Crying Excessively
So it's absolutely normal for your newborn to be crying. Some babies though, will cry more than average without any apparent reason. Many call these darlings cry babies . Having a cry baby is a very tough challenge for parents.
When is a baby crying excessively?
A cry baby cries excessively:
more than 'normal' for a baby of her age. Because all babies are so
different, defining 'normal' is not easy.
Often, to give caretakers and parents and indication,
Wessel's rule of threes
is used: a baby cries excessively when she:
- cries more than 3 hours a day
- for at least 3 days a week
- for more than 3 weeks in a row
A cry baby is also often restless, over stretches and many times screams rather than cries. Many cry babies communicate very little, it is hard to get through to them.
Use all the above tips to soothe your baby.
Seek help
, consult
your pediatrician or general practitioner to make sure the crying does
not have an apparent medical reason: sometimes there is, sometimes
there isn't.
Don't hesitate to seek help for yourself too, accept help from family
and friends and get medical help if you require it. You can also
contact
me here
for support and advice.
Carrying your baby in a
baby
sling
can be very effective to soothe a cry baby and keep her
as comfortable as possible.
If you can,
consult a
good osteopath or chiropractor
, specialised to
work with babies.
Many moms of cry babies
have had difficult pregnancies and most often a difficult delivery.
Baby can have a bone, vertebra or nerve stuck somehow, build up some
tensions in that tiny little body, and that can make
her very uncomfortable, and cry. A good osteopath can spot and treat
this kind of problem and many parents have reported having
a whole new
baby
after just a few sessions.
See the
Cranial
Osteopathy Therapy Checklist
to quickly see if it could help you
out.
Newborn Crying It Out?
Crying it out as a
sleep
method
to soothe your baby or to make her sleep is not suited for a newborn.
At later ages, there are many different opinions, pro's and con's, but
it is not OK to let a newborn
cry
it out
. It will not help or teach your baby
anything, but may harm her.
What if
you have tried all you can to soothe her, are tired and exhausted
yourself and
simply cannot bring yourself to try and soothe her
?
Then you have to try and find a professional, or a friend or family member who can help you.
Failing that, at any moment
when
you just cannot take it anymore
: put your baby
down in her crib, make sure she is
safe. Then take a few moments for yourself: take several long deep breaths and allow yourself to calm down before returning to your baby.
Check on your baby often to make sure she is alright. Use all
the above advice to help improve how you feel and your newborn crying.
Never hesitate to
contact me
for support
.
To help teach your new baby the right sleeping
skills, you may find my free
Complete
Newborn Sleep Guide
useful.
Article Author: Heidi Holvoet, PhD - Founder, senior sleep consultant
Heidi Holvoet, PhD, is the founder of the Baby Sleep Advice website and movement, an award-winning author, baby & toddler sleep consultant with 15+ years experience as well as a certified lactation counselor.
Over the years, Heidi has received several awards inluding a Mom's Choice Award (MCA) and National Parenting Awards (NAPPA) for her Baby Sleep Advice website, programs and books. Also, Baby Sleep Advice was awarded "Most Trusted Infant's Sleep Solutions Company 2023" in the Benelux Enterprise Awards 2023.
Heidi continually conducts personal research and participates in continued education and in that way stays up to date with current scientific and pyschosocial infant care.
She is also a member of the Association of Professional Sleep Consultants of which she was one of the earliest contributors. She obtained her PhD degree in physics at the University of Ghent in Belgium.
Heidi is passionate about helping babies and their parents sleep more and better, with her trademark approach that has been proven and praised time and again by parents worldwide to be effective and truly no-tears. Respect for you as a parent and your baby, is at the heart of Heidi's warm and kind support. Her approach always keeps in mind a baby's needs and abilities at any given age, is based on pediatric science and the most up to date knowledge in infant care and sleep science.
As well as the award-winning baby sleep programs, Heidi offers popular 1:1 consults and easy-access 30-minute SOS Sleep sessions.

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