Good Baby TipsTips for keeping your baby happy and healthy

I don’t like that my baby cries. I know nobody likes to hear a crying baby and it’s natural. Babies cry to speak to their parents and to gain attention. Whenever your baby cries, he demands an immediate response. Babies cry to tell you about their different needs, but how do you really know just what that ‘need’ is?

Actually, babies have different variations of crying for each need. Scientists have used sophisticated sound equipment to study the nature of baby cries by recording its pitch, frequency and length of pauses. They have determined that a baby’s cry contains a combination of several sounds made all at once. Every baby has a unique cry, which can be distinguished from that of every other baby.

Most of the time parents know exactly what their infant wants when he/she cries. They learn to distinguish the sound of one cry from another. I started figuring out what my baby wanted when he cries during the few weeks after his birth. Once I was visiting with my 5 months baby, Abdullah. Almost as soon as I entered the living room, Abdullah began to wail. My mind quickly went through the list of his needs: When I last fed him, when he was last changed, oh he hasn’t slept for quite a few hours - he must be tired now. So I started patting him on his back, in less than a minute he stopped crying and few minutes later he was fast asleep.

Some parents easily learn to interpret their baby’s cries. They just know what they mean but some parents are not as in tune with their babies. Also some babies are not as easy to soothe.

Dr Barry Lester, professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown university , Rhode Island, has studied the cries of babies for more than 20 years and has found that an individual infant may have as many as 12 distinct cries. Although there will always be some variation from infant to infant.

The following are characteristics of what different cries mean.

1 - I am hungry.

This is the most common cry you will hear. It typically begins with a rhythmic cry or whine when your baby first starts to feel like he has an empty stomach. Within a few minutes you may hear a short explosive cry followed by a pause while your baby catches his breath. Then you will hear more cries which will probably get louder and louder until your baby is fed. Your knowledge of when your baby was last fed will probably be your best guide at determining whether you are hearing a cry of hunger.

2 - I am Eating too much

Since hunger is the most common cry feeding is often the first response that parents give to their babies wails. It is important to remember that until a baby 6 to 8 weeks old he does not know how to regulate drinking from a bottle and he will suck on it until it runs dry, even though he has had more than he needs. Sometimes older babies will also take the bottle or breast for comfort, even though hunger is not really what is making them unhappy. However babies have small stomachs and immature digestive systems, so if they overeat then they are likely to be sick and start crying again. A baby that brings up his food is telling you that smaller and more frequent feeding may be what is needed.

3 - I am tired

When your baby is sleepy or over tired he may show signs of being fussy and irritated. His cries will more likely fluctuate in tone and volume and be arrrythmical. Other non-verbal signs will also be consistent in your baby. He may bat his ears, suck his fingers or rub his eyes. Since he wants to go to bed., he will likely resist being distracted by your efforts to play with him and will usually turn away. When you try other ways to comfort him he may become more agitated because all he really wants to do is sleep. As your baby gets into a regular sleep schedule, you will recognize the way he communicates that he is tired. Most babies will cry themselves to sleep within 5 to 10 minutes when nothing else is bothering them.

4 - I am in Pain

Babies cry pretty much the same way whether they are experiencing external or internal pain. The cry begins without warning and it is loud, long and shrill. Your baby will let out a good long wail of pain and then take a long pause, like he is holding his breath. When he cries again his body will also tell you that something is wrong. His body will be tense, and his hands and feet will be drawn up. His mouth will be wide open and you will see an expression of intense discomfort on his face.

5 - I am irritated

Babies get irritable when they are tired or over stimulated just the way that adults do. This cry is usually long and hard and unresponsive to calming methods that usually work. This type of cry usually comes just before it is time for a nap or for bed time. After a few attempts at trying to calm your baby down., just let him alone for a few minutes. His crying may be a form of tension release and after a while you should see him start to calm down. After he has quieted himself down he may respond to a gentle massage or to the bottle or breast.

6 - I feel sick

This maybe a weaning and nasal cry, similar to the cry of pain but weaker. Your baby will look flushed and maybe warm to the touch. Consult your child physician if the fever continues or if other symptoms appear.

7 - Change me

With the increasing absorbency of disposable nappies many babies do not feel particularly uncomfortable when they are wet. Other babies will cry loudly and wail as if they are in pain.(Sometimes of course your baby is in pain, if the urine is irritating a rash). Checking your baby’s nappy is one of the first things that most parents do when they hear their baby cry.

8 - I am afraid

The cry of fear is typically sudden, loud and piercing, followed by gasping for breath. Some babies are much more sensitive to noise and temperature or being startled than others. Usually this cry subsides almost as suddenly as it begins.

9 - I am Angry

Different babies have different frustration levels, just like different adults. Some babies get frustrated very easily and they let you know about it. Different babies have different reasons for being angry. You baby’s cry of frustration or anger will be revealed on his face and in his movements. His mouth may be drawn up into what is best described as a snarl. He may arch his back or turn his face to the side to show you that he does not like what you are doing. Usually these cries are short lived when whatever is frustrating him is over.

10 - I am bored

A baby who is crying because she is bored or lonely is just trying to fill a need and when you understand what she is trying to tell you, you can choose the best way to respond to this need. When you trust your own instincts, and with a little trial and error, you will figure out just the right things to do to respond to your baby’s cries. The exception to this is when your baby cries too much, or when you do not feel that you know how to calm her down.

The litmus test of whether you need to go beyond your intuition and analyze the communication behind your baby’s cries is simple: You need to respond to your baby within a minute and half and have him calmed down within 10 minutes.

Why do I say a minute a half? Because research has show that the quicker your respond to your baby’s cries the quicker your baby will calm down. At least one study has shown that when adults take longer than a minute and a half to establish contact with the baby it can take 2 to 4 times longer to calm the baby down. Studying what your baby’s cries mean will undoubtedly help you to be more connected to your baby. It will give him a sense of security and the sense that his needs are being met and it will give you a sense of confidence. But do not expect too much of yourself. Studies tell us that at least 4 out of 5 babies cry for as much as 15 minutes to an hour a day without any explainable reason.

For whatever reason your baby cries, or even if he cries for no reason at all, you can be assured that by 7 or 8 months the baby will find different ways to communicate with you.