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You may be worrying too much about how to calm a crying baby and this is especially worrying for the parents of a crying newborn baby.

All babies cry normally and crying is merely a physiological process common in the life of a baby.

But why do babies cry? Well, since your baby can’t express its feelings or needs in any other way, crying is the only way for it to communicate with you.

If your baby experiences any uncomfortable feeling it will cry and this is completely natural.

Normally babies cry when they’re hungry; if they’re wet and need changing; if they’re either too hot or cold; if their clothes are too tight and/or uncomfortable; or, a little more worrying, if they’re in pain.

Others might cry because they simply want the reassuring presence of somebody with them.

You must also realise that crying without any obvious cause can be habitual in some babies.

Even though crying should be considered as quite normal it can still be a big worry for you.

Despite what I have said so far about crying being normal it should never just be ignored. Since the reasons for your baby crying can range from a simple and fairly innocuous cause through to something more serious its exact cause should always be identified and managed appropriately.

Always consider the following points when trying to make your baby stop crying, and if one thing doesn’t work try another:

· Tight clothes can cause irritation and should be removed or rearranged;

· If the room is hot switch on a fan and/or open the windows, if you’ve got air-conditioning even better;

· If your baby’s nappy is wet remove it as soon as possible, then clean the parts and make it dry with a clean soft towel;

· Pat her back or stroke her head slowly and make some soothing sounds;

· Apply her to the breast (or a bottle if not breastfeeding) – she may be hungry;

· If the climate is cold cover her in soft towel or fleecy blanket;

· Walk slowly around the room rocking her gently in your arms;

· Play some music and let her listen;

· Try a pacifier or help her with thumb sucking.

· If no response change her position.

· If the weather permits, or if you have a covered area, walk outdoors with her – fresh air is a great soother;

· If you have a cradle put her in and rock it gently.

If, even after you’ve tried all these steps, your baby won’t stop crying check carefully for the following signs and symptoms (the most probable cause is given after each sign or symptom):

· Press her abdomen gently to see if she twists or tries to resist you (possible cause: colic);

· Very gently pull her ear to see if she pushes your hands away or if her crying becomes worse (possible cause: earache);

· Check her temperature using the back of your hands to see if she seems unduly hot (possible cause: fever due to an infection);

· Examine her skin all over from head to foot (looking for signs of: an eruptive disease, nappy rash, measles, vesicles, reaction to an allergy, etc);

· Check her nose for any sign of discharge (possible cause: coryza);

· Gently move her head for any sign of stiffness in her neck (possible cause: meningitis, head injury, etc);

· Place your ear close to her chest to see if you can hear any rattling sound (possible cause: increased mucus in wind pipes due to pneumonia, bronchiolitis, asthmatic bronchitis, etc);

· Examine the anal orifice (looking for signs of: anal erosion, rectal polyp, crawling of worms, etc);

· Examine the genitalia (looking for signs of: any discharge or erosion);

· In a male baby check the testicles for any swelling or tenderness (possible cause: orchitis, torsion of testes);

· also check the body movements (looking for signs of: convulsions, rigors, vomiting, coughs, laboured breathing, etc).

If you become aware of any of the above signs, or anything else you think may be abnormal, you should consult your doctor for proper treatment.

One final word of caution – no matter how desperate you get in trying to make your baby stop crying, consider this: it can be extremely dangerous to shake your baby, even slightly vigorously. There have been far too numerous cases of babies dying from being shaken – don’t do it, ever!

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