Why is my baby screaming or crying?

... With this question many mothers go to their paediatrician and ask for help and desperately look for clues. Healthy babies cry out to breathe, to express themselves, because they are hungry, have flatulence or other pain, or simply because they are bored.

Healthy babies cry 1 to 3 hours daily

(vgl. www.babynews.de). That's perfectly normal. Healthy babies initially cry between 1 and 3 hours a day. For a baby, crying is the only way to communicate. There can be many reasons for a baby to scream. The most common reasons for crying out:

  • Over-irritation: Babies scream more often in the evening hours. This is because they are over-excited, get to bed too late and first have to deal with the many impressions of the day.
  • Tiredness: Babies often scream when they are just tired. Parents usually recognise fatigue by the child's eyes. Then you shouldn't wait long to sleep and look for a quiet room where he can sleep.
  • Growth spurts: For example, between the 2nd and 3rd month babies often cry more because they experience a growth spurt. Babies are often more restless and affectionate than usual during growth spurts.
  • Pain: Babies scream when they are in pain (e.g. abdominal pain, diarrhoea). If babies get teeth, it hurts them. Tip: Build-up lime promotes healthy tooth formation in babies and relieves a little of the pain.
  • Hunger: When babies are hungry, of course they scream too.
  • Full diaper: If the diaper is wet and full, babies start crying.
  • Snuggle: A baby looks for closeness and security and sometimes just screams to get "love units".
  • Nervousness: Restless, nervous parents automatically transfer their restlessness to their baby. This leads to increased crying in the baby.

The different types of screams

There are different types of walking. Young parents find it difficult at first to judge what their baby actually needs. The question then arises as to whether the baby needs a new diaper, is thirsty, wants to cuddle or one of the points mentioned above. Over time, when parents scream, they learn to hear exactly what it is all about.

Examples for different types of screams:

  • Cry of hunger: The baby cries, smacks and wants to express that it is hungry.
  • A cry of tiredness: The baby rubs its eyes, has very small eyes, yawns a lot and complains. Then it's time for bed. Babies with 1/2 year often fall asleep again after a short wine phase / wake up phase alone.
  • Cries of pain are shrill high in tone and long. They can be serious diseases, such as middle ear infection, and a pediatrician should be consulted.
  • Colic cries are sudden, then slowly decrease in intensity.
  • When crying out for boredom or cuddles, a whining usually precedes. That sounds moaning at first, then scolding later. Usually you can observe the whining with kicking feet and rowing arms. Words and loving looks are enough to comfort it as a rule.
  • The Stress Scream: This scream makes itself noticeable externally well. The hands are clenched in fists and the baby's back is stiff. This posture is therefore accompanied by short, shrill screams. The stress can have different reasons. Either there are too many people in the room, the music is too loud or it is over-stimulated.

Calming techniques

What's the best way to calm my baby down? Many parents ask themselves this question. Here are some examples of how to calm your baby:

  • Swings: Put the baby in your arm and weigh or put in the cradle.
  • It is helpful to stroke the baby gently over his head, a massage can also be very helpful here.
  • If the baby is too cold, it helps to wrap the baby in a blanket.
  • The mother's voice is very reassuring for the child. Sing or say something to him.
  • Quiet music can also have a calming effect on the baby.
  • Legen Sie Ihr Baby auf Ihren Arm und laufen sie etwas herum oder fahren Sie es im Kinderwagen spazieren.
  • Always make sure your baby has a burp. Warm baths can also calm babies.
Über die Autorin/den Autor
Diana Saft ist staatlich anerkannte Heilpädagogin und Heilerziehungspflegerin. Sie sammelte bisher Erfahrungen in einem Seniorenheim, in einem Wohnheim für Menschen mit Behinderungen, in einem integrativen Kindergarten und in einem deutschen Kindergarten in den USA.

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