A baby expresses themselves through gestures, movements and hunger cues, such as sucking fingers, turning the head and putting hands in the mouth. Crying is also one of the ways a baby expresses themselves and, especially for a newborn, it is a natural way of communicating.
A baby cries when they are hungry or uncomfortable, have a wet nappy, are cold or hot, need a cuddle or are in pain. Your baby is not crying to tease you or to be naughty.
You can easily tell a baby’s pain cry apart from other types of crying. Pain cry starts suddenly, is intense and often continuous.
You will learn how to respond to your baby's crying and find appropriate ways to soothe your baby by trying different options. You will also gradually learn to distinguish between the different cries of your child.
Soothing the baby
You can calm your baby down by using similar, repetitive, familiar soothing methods. Try holding and stroking a crying baby and talking and moving with the baby.
Babies have great differences in temperament that affect how easily they can be soothed.
If your baby cries a lot and will not settle down easily, you may feel helpless, worried and tired.
Alternate baby care responsibilities with your partner, if possible. Ask your family, friends and the maternity and child health clinic for help with a crying baby. Even a brief respite can help you cope, and new tips on how to calm down a baby may help break the crying cycle.
If your baby cries for hours on end several days a week for no perceivable reason, they may have colic. Shaking the baby or other rough treatment will not calm the baby, and these methods will put your baby’s life at risk.
If you feel exhausted, bring the matter up at the maternity and child health clinic or ask for help for your family from the unit for social counselling for families with children.
