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Tongue Tie Eczema and Dry skin Baby Crying or fretful baby Windy Baby Reflux / Silent Reflux Sleep for babies Feeding Problems Baby Colds Cradle cap Colic Baby Constipated

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Crying or fretful baby

Until they learn how to talk (or sign) crying is a baby’s main form of communication. Crying is perfectly normal and it’s the first thing a baby does when it emerges from the womb (but not always). There are many reasons why babies cry and it can be a very healthy sign knowing that your baby can cry and can let you know that he/she needs you. As new parents, you will learn fast when it comes to distinguishing what different cries mean. But it can also be very distressing to parents trying to cope with a crying, fretful baby. The main reasons a baby cries is hunger, tiredness, feeling unwell, being uncomfortable, pain and wind. they may also cry due to hot, cold, attention.

Complementary therapies that might help a baby who's fretful: Baby massage, cranial osteopath, breastfeeding counsellor, cranial sacral therapy, aromatherapy

There’s no set routine with a fretful baby – as he/she doesn’t seem to be in pain and there are no abnormal signs on the body. Usually this will subside after the first 3 months and they’ll calm down once they have become adjusted to the big, bad, outside world. The nervous system as well as their young digestive system may take a while to work out how to function properly; this should also settle down after a while. Parents, take note: if you have a fretful baby, it’s important to have time to yourselves. If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, take a break and ask a partner or friend to take over the helm of the baby Ship for a while, even just for an hour.

Hunger – one of the main causes and sometimes even if it seems you have just fed your baby, they could still be hungry. One way to tell if this could be the case is if they stop after a second feed. You should also find help from a complementary health specialist like a breastfeeding consultant, especially if crying is normal from birth and regularly throughout the day. check your baby for oral thrush, reflux, wind, latch, position for feeding and tongue tie.

Indigestion or wind – this can cause a baby to cry after feeding. Burp your baby regularly to expel swallowed air. Many babies suffer from colic – easy telltale signs are crying for over 3 hours in each 24-hour period and appearing to be in pain with a distended tummy and gas. Try seeing a baby massage instructor who can show you some techniques to ease the wind and constipation. Peter Walkers massage instructors have a good amount of knowledge about this.

Tiredness – when young babies have been awake for longer than usual or they have been with strangers or in an unfamiliar place, they can become irritable and overtired, making it harder for them to nod off. The Baby Whisperer book by Tracey Hogg has some helpful hints for an overtired baby. You may like to begin a routine with your baby when they're over 10 weeks old - Gina Ford's Contented Little Baby has routines she thinks are best for babies and she recommends the age at which they could follow them. I don'd personally believe you can force a baby into a specific routine but you may find they follow a simular routine already, therefore a few tweaks can help.

Uncomfortable – constipated babies with hard stools may cry when they get the urge to pass a stool. It is important to ensure your baby has regular bowel movements. Babies can cry when they are wet (6-8 wet nappies in 24 hours at the frst few weeks) or have a dirty nappy and it feels uncomfortable. A nappy rash can cause soreness so that your baby becomes sleepless and cries. Make sure you check with a health visitor the regularity and consistancy of your baby's bowel movements so that any concerns can be sorted sooner rather than later. Ask a breastfeeding counsellor about what's normal for bowl movements in you've breastfeeding - there are less hard and fast rules regarding breastfed babies. For example, through a growth spurt breastfed babies can stop soiling their nappies as all the nutrients from the breastmilk are all used up - they may not be constipated, but have squeezed all the nutrients from their food and don't have anything (or much) to pass through for a few days (or up to 10 days)

Feeling unwell – to rule out illness as a cause of crying, get a thorough check up if they’re crying inconsolably for long stretches at a time each day.

Natural remedies to try at home for a crying or fretful baby

Try and take a step back when you baby cries - when do theur cry, what did they do before crying? does it happent he same time roughly each day/or each day of the week? Have they begun solids? Are you anxious and stressed?
Write the answers to these questions down and try to log your movements in the day/night. Is there a pattern? Getting to the bottom of why your baby is crying could be the solution to finding the answer.
Has your baby cried since birth and had a traumatic delivery such as c-section, fast bith, forceps, long labour, pethidine etc? See a practitioner who can aliavate birth trauma such as CranioOsteopath, craniosacral therapist, baby massage instructor.
Does the reason they're crying alwasy seem to be surrounding feeding? See a breastfeeding expert.
Do you think they're windy/constipated/colic/reflux? Book with a baby massage instructor, craniosacral, cranio-osteopath, peadiatric chiropractor,
Are you exhusted? Maybe it's time to get more help. Night nannies are trained nainnies who can follow your routine over night or help work with you to find a solution and techniques that work for your baby and your family (they dont just come in and take over) They're about £100 for 7pm-7am.
I bought a sling - AMAZING THING! To carry my baby round in when she was fretful and she'd fed and been changed and there was nothing else I felt I could do for her. She may have had pain from her reflux so being upright suited her well.

Did you find something that worked for you? let us know so we can spread the word to parents struggling with a baby with crying/fretfulness.

CranioSacral Therapy for babies. For birth trauma