Today we want to try to answer a question that is often asked - why does our baby cry, anyway?
As beings who react to various kinds of stimulation, we human beings have the need to use different ways of communicating what we're feeling. Normally, we go for the way that we know best or that we think is within our power to do so.
With this in mind, the form of communication that babies use the most is crying. It's the little one's instinctive way of communicating that they're hungry, tired, bored, want our full attention, and so on. It's their first form of language. However, we realise that it's not always easy to understand and decipher, because for the parents the cry may be all the same, but for the little one it will have a meaning.
Well, don't fear, parents! We wanted to find out more about the various types of crying our babies experience, as well as some things we can look out for when a situation arises.
According to our research, one clear idea is that there are no difficult babies. Little ones come into our world crying. A vital, natural reaction that usually means everything is fine with them. The first contact with air, their respiratory system starts to work. If we talk about the first few weeks, newborns often cry, which can sometimes be difficult to bear, but it's a "survival instinct". One thing is certain, crying is proof that your little one has arrived in the world alive and full of strength and health.
What can be associated with a feeling of sadness on the part of adults, crying for babies is not necessarily a sign that they are sad. Crying is the way little ones communicate with the world around them. If they need company, to reach an object, if they're hungry, they'll cry to show what they want or what they're feeling. What we realise is that we can't forget about situations of discomfort either, such as a tummy ache or teething. There may be cases where babies don't feel understood and can become upset.
One thing to bear in mind is that crying allows babies to release the tension they feel and calm down.
Now that we've understood the possible reasons for crying, let's move on to some practices we can apply to try to better understand our little ones' many cries.
The first context we've found is that whenever our baby cries, parents can go to him or her to understand what's going on, but without jumping out of the chair at the slightest noise. Sometimes it can be just to attract attention. However, we must always show our little ones that we are there for them. Such a reaction won't make them temperamental. It will be a way for the baby to begin to know that they can count on their parents for help, as it will give them an image of security to see and discover the outside world, and it will be beneficial for their development and growth.
Another cry that we want to be able to distinguish - the so-called crocodile tears or the tears of real pain. Can you tell the difference? Let's see. It's considered a little difficult, at least the first few times, to distinguish unusual crying, which could mean pain, from normal healthy crying. As they say, babies don't come with an instruction manual, so you have to give them time to start understanding and recognising the different types of cry and their different meanings.
The idea we've learnt from our research is that your little one's crying can't mean anything serious, especially when they stop crying when they're on your lap and start crying again when you put them down. In this situation, we have to think about it and consider that if this reaction happens every day, it could cause problems. As parents, we have to try to make our little ones understand that we are going to leave them in the cot, even if they cry. This way, they can do other activities, such as bathing, and then go for a walk in the park.
A very common type of cry in the first few months of our baby's life can be caused by colic. Those painful cramps that aren't always easy for them to bear, so they'll need your lap and support.
Now that we've come across a few types of crying, we wanted to see if there are any tips that can help when your baby starts to cry.
When we see them crying, our first instinct is to figure out what's wrong. At that point, the reason may not be so obvious, so we should evaluate several possibilities and turn to our selection of solutions and apply them - a cuddle, a nap, picking up their favourite toy, among others.
Is it still not working? We don't want you to panic. Another solution is to leave the house with the pram and go for a walk. They say the pram has calming properties.
So that mothers can fulfil their commitments, you can leave your little ones with their father. There may be some fear at first and some end-of-day tiredness mixed in, but it will be a great opportunity to have a moment alone, father and child.
Well, we believe that's some of the information we've brought here today. However, we felt it was important to address this issue. Not only to understand it, but also to learn how we can act or at least try so that we can better recognise each type of cry. However, the idea we can take away is that it takes time to understand our little ones. It will be a learning process for us as well as for them. It may not always be easy to resolve, but we believe that parents who are at this stage will be able to do so and your baby will feel understood.
What about you? How was your journey to understanding your little ones' various types of cry? Did you have any difficulties? What other tips would you like to add to make our little ones feel understood? Parents who are at this stage, how is it going? We want to know your experience. We want to know your opinion.
