Crying is a language:

First, we should understand that crying is a language of a newborn baby. Crying is really his first social communication. It is not terribly sophisticated but it is useful. Partly because it is a distress signal of children and adults, partly because it is irritating, partly because of instinct, mother usually comes running to discover what is making her baby cry.

Reasons why a baby may cry?

Advice such as it is better to leave a baby to cry rather than spoil him, or that a baby needs to cry to exercise his lungs is unworthy of consideration. Babies never cry for nothing and will go on crying until their need is understood.

1. Hunger versus thirst: One of the most common reasons of crying is when a baby is hungry. However, the complicating factor is the fact that thirst a lot of times is misinterpreted to be hunger. This may lead a parent to feed the baby while he/she is thirsty and wants water. At such times, the baby may begin crying again even after feeding. So we must take extra caution in recognizing whether a baby is hungry or thirsty.

2. Overstimulation: When a lot of relatives come and play with the baby or pick him up, the baby may be overstimulated and may begin crying. This also causes a lot of misinterpretation and this, in fact, is a common cause of prolonged crying. A baby, for example, who begins to cry because he is tired or overstimulated, is often jogged up and down or handed even more toys. What he really needs is peace-time away from crowd and bright lights with a need for moments of being held lovingly close.

3. Lack of attention: When a baby is unattended for a long time in the crib or cradle, the baby may express his discomfort by crying. This immediately changes when a parent or other family member is seen and the baby cheers up.

4. Uncomfortable in clothes: Being extra-protective, a lot of times we overdress the babies. This makes the baby overheated and uncomfortable and he/she starts crying. Likewise, being light-dressed may make the baby feel cold. A lot of times babies dislike being undressed. This happens because of sudden miss of clothing and air being in contact with the bodies. At such moments, a towel may be all that is needed to comfort the baby.

5. Environment: Unexpected environment like sudden noise or lot of stranger in room may also startle the baby. Babies react to these sudden changes in environment. Babies need gentle warm touch and soothing environment again to calm them.

None of this is surprising when it is remembered that a young baby is used to the total security and instant service of life in the uterus. After this, any delay between expressing a need and having it answered can seem like an eternity.