It’s simply a fact of life. Babies cry. Babies cry a lot. They all do it. Some babies cry more than others, but they all cry as soon as they’re born, and it can seem like many don’t stop until a couple of years later!
A baby’s cry is the primary means of communication from the moment of birth. Have you ever tried to have a conversation with a baby? Of course not! They can’t talk and won’t learn to speak for quite a while.
Despite their inability to speak, babies still have needs. They need food. They need sleep. They need affection and attention. They feel pain. They can experience fear. When needs arise and feelings occur, how are babies supposed to communicate them to you? They cry!
New parents know that it can be tricky to interpret a baby’s cries at first. Over time, though, parents learn that babies cry in different ways at different times. Experienced parents soon learn to distinguish between an “I’m hungry” cry and an “I need my diaper changed” cry.
Babies may also cry for many other reasons. They might be overly tired. Sometimes they just want to be cuddled. At other times, they may feel pain from an upset stomach or need to burp. Or they could simply be trying to convey another message entirely, such as “I’m too hot in this blanket” or “I’m bored.”
When babies cry excessively, they may have a condition known as colic. Doctors don’t know for sure what causes colic, but they define the condition as intense, inconsolable crying for more than three hours a day, three days a week, for more than three weeks in an otherwise healthy baby.
Colic might start up as soon as just a few weeks after birth. Although treatments for colic aren’t always very effective, the condition tends to improve significantly within three months or so. Those months can be very difficult for parents, though. Colicky babies are hard to comfort. A visit to the doctor can assure parents that the baby is healthy, and a doctor can also recommend measures to help parents provide as much comfort as possible to their crying infants.
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