How Much Crying Is Normal In Babies?

There are perhaps only four things a newborn baby knows how to do, eating, peeing, pooping and crying. In this article, we will cover crying in babies. As newborn babies have no other way of communicating their displeasure or discomfort about a certain thing, they will immediately break in into high-pitched crying and wailing until they get what they want. Babies cry throughout the day, and figuring out why they cry as much can be extremely tricky. However, with this helpful guide for baby’s crying, you will be able to understand just how much your baby is crying and if those levels of crying are normal.

Causes Of Baby’s Crying

It is pretty simple to understand why a baby is crying. Babies cry because they are hungry, may have been overfed, they feel hot/cold, they have a fever, they want to sleep, they can’t sleep, stomach and colic issues, bowel movement issues, painful rashes, post- vaccination pain etc. The list of obvious reasons are extensive and parents are often able to tell why the baby is crying in a matter of minutes.

Also read: Don’t Know Why Your Baby Is Crying? Here Is How You Can Soothe Him!

However, there may be times when parents themselves are left dumbfounded as to why their baby is crying. Parents also have a sixth sense when it comes to taking care of their baby and almost immediately realise if it sounds a little bit off. If a baby’s crying pattern changes drastically, parents shouldn’t ignore it and rush to the doctor immediately.

How Much Do Babies Cry?

If you monitor your baby’s crying for the first few months closely, you will find that his average crying per day increases once he is 3 weeks and escalates to quite an extent at around the 6th, 7th and 8th weeks respectively. However, by the time the 10th week rolls around, your baby will start crying lesser and lesser and by the 4th month, it will reduce drastically. On an average, babies cry for two hours collectively each day. By the 7th week, the crying increases to three hours per day and it will gradually decrease to one hour each day by the 10th week.

Babies have also been found crying more during the afternoon and also in the evening. Perhaps, babies also need a bigger feed during the day time and also in the evening before he goes to bed. After a long day, babies might get tired as well. This may also be a reason of why they cry a lot in the evening.

One of the most common reasons for why babies cry is because of colic. Colic is when there is a piercing pain in the baby’s abdomen caused by gas or if the baby hasn’t had a good bowel movement. Colic will cause your baby to cry uncontrollably. The best way to figure out if your baby who is less than 5 months old has colic is to monitor his crying. If he is crying for more than three hours in a row for a few days, it could be colic. Take a look at the symptoms of colic and how to treat here.

What To Do If Baby Is Crying Excessively

Before you try to soothe your baby’s crying, it is important to figure out why your baby is crying. Depending on some common situations, here is what you can do:

#1. Baby Is Hungry

Newborn babies need to be fed every few hours and if you are late in feeding your baby, he will start to cry. However, to stop your baby from crying look for early signs of hunger such as your baby putting his hand in his mouth, fidgety movements and lip smacking.

Also read: Do You Know What Purple Crying Is? Find Out When It Will Start For Your Baby

#2. Baby Needs A Pacifier

Sometimes babies just need to suck on something. If he moves his mouth to make sucking movements, try to breastfeed him. If he refuses to drink, it is most probably because he just wants something like a pacifier and not getting it will make him cry.

#3. Baby Feels Neglected

Newborn babies need and crave constant love and attention and if left alone for even a minute, they will show their displeasure by crying immediately. If your baby is reaching out to you like he wants to be held, it means he desires attention. Hold your baby to your chest and pat his back gently to calm him down.

#4. Baby Is Tired

You will instantly know when your baby is crying out of being tired. They require upto 16 hours of sleep every day and it that quota is not complete, they will continuously throw a fuss. Feed him, burp him, give him a warm bath if you must and rock your baby to sleep.

#5. Baby Is Bored Of Being In One Position

If your baby suddenly starts crying while vigorously moving his body, it means that he wants to be placed on his stomach, held, or just moved into a different position.

Also read: How Safe Is It To Give A Pacifier To A Crying Baby?

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