15 Reasons babies cry suddenly and inconsolably (and what to do about it).

Sometimes babies cry suddenly and inconsolably.

You know it. I know it. Every mom knows it.

That is the only way they communicate.

But your baby is different. They just like to cry.

It doesn’t matter whether they are well fed, properly taken care of or not. They just cry all the time.

You are getting tired and worn out.

You have tried different things but none worked. And you keep asking yourself:

Is it possible to have a baby that won’t be crying all the time?

Absolutely.

Your adorable baby can become a cool and calm baby.

Babies are lovely and cute. But when they cry, most first time moms get confused. Especially if you are sure they have eaten, are not sick and you’ve tried all you could to make them stop, but they just don’t want to.

One thing you need to know is that it is a baby’s birthright to cry. Yeah, it is. That is the only way they can express themselves and tell you something is wrong with them. So babies don’t cry for no reason. They cannot tell you why they are crying and you can’t understand the reason they cry.

Let’s consider some reasons babies cry, so you would know what to check when they cry suddenly for no reason.

15 Reasons babies cry suddenly and inconsolably (and what to do about it).

1.  Hunger

We all know that feeling. When your stomach rumbles and you yawn. You feel empty inside all because you need food. Babies are also human. They need food. Although, they shouldn’t start crying before you feed them. You should study their feeding time and give them food. How do you know if your baby is hungry? They fuse, they put their hands in their mouth and sometimes if you breastfeed them; They turn their cheek to the side of the breast. At such a point, read their reflexes and feed them before they cry suddenly and inconsolably.

2.  Colic and gas

The second reason babies cry suddenly and inconsolably is when they have gas in their stomachs. So how does gas enters your baby’s stomach?  Air enters the stomach when they cry when they latch incorrectly as you nurse them, and because their digestive tract is not perfect yet. It is still learning how to process food, gas, and stool properly. So, the gas bubbles in their stomach create a painful pressure that makes babies cry suddenly and inconsolably.

So how do you relieve baby gas fast?

• Give them a tummy time. Let them lie on their tummy so it puts pressure on the belly to release the gas. Do this, after 30 minutes of breastfeeding or bottle feeding.
• Burp your baby while feeding and after feeding them. As you breastfeed your baby, remove them from the breast after some time to burp them so you can reduce the amount of gas they swallow. Lactation consultants recommend burping babies after 5-10 minutes of feeding, especially when they are a few weeks old.
• Because babies swallow air during feeding, ensure that you position them correctly on the breast. Feed them at an angle. This means raising their head and neck about their stomachs. Also, keep them upright after feeding for about 30 minutes, rubbing their back.

3.  Wet or dirty diaper

Mothers are great. As you go about your daily chores, you may forget that the baby needs a diaper change. Some babies don’t cry at all, while some can’t stand dirty or wet diapers. They cry whenever their diapers are dirty or wet. Ensure you constantly check your baby’s diaper. You should have a schedule and know when they wet their diapers to change it immediately.

4.  Stranger anxiety or fear

Sometimes babies cry suddenly and inconsolably when they develop a healthy attachment to their parents. So, when they are with a stranger, they are afraid and they cry. Experts said that the fear of strangers is common in babies’ development. It starts when they recognize the people around them and know strangers apart. It becomes serious when they are around 7-10 months of age and this can last till the baby is around 2 years.

So, how do you eradicate the fear of strangers in babies?

How to overcome stranger anxiety in babies

• When strangers come to your house, let the baby sit on your lap while you introduce them to the baby.
• If your baby cries suddenly and inconsolably while a stranger holds them, make them comfortable by playing together with the stranger.
• Let your child have their toys with them for comfort when meeting new people
• Stay calm, and take it easy with them, the fear will go gradually.

5.   Overstimulation from noise and activities

Babies get overstimulated when they are surrounded by too many noises, people and activity than they can bear. For example, when you take your baby to a party where everyone wants to carry and cuddle them. They might cry, become cranky, upset and jerk. This is because they are tired and overwhelmed by the surrounding happenings.

Imagine taking your child to extracurricular activities with other children. The activities surrounding them might overwhelm them.

How to calm an overstimulated baby

When your baby suddenly becomes overstimulated because of activities and noise, take them out to a quiet and familiar place and calm them down. However, this does not mean that you must always avoid this kind of scenario, no. Babies need to be stimulated environment to grow too. They need activities to learn and practice different things as they grow. But let there be a balance in the activities. There is always time for everything.

6.   Sleepiness

Sleep should be the easiest thing to do for anyone. But not for babies. sleep can make babies cry suddenly and inconsolably as if they are hurt. They try to fight off the sleep. This is sometimes because they love their environment and don’t want to go to sleep early. But, then they become cranky as a way of fighting the sleep.

How to overcome babies crying to sleep

• Hold the baby in your hand and try to soothe them
• Create a motion by moving them from side to side.
• Let them cry it out – most parents advised this if you have tried all you could to no avail. Soon, the pattern will stop

7.   Wants to be held

Who does not like cuddling? We all love it. It makes you feel loved and secured. Babies are the same too. They like to be cuddled by their parents. They want to see their faces and hear their voices. When a baby cries a lot, it might just be that they want to be close to you. You might enjoy holding them when they are still young and you have a lot of time to stay with them. But as they grow, it becomes a chore. To solve this problem, do the following:

• Use a baby carrier or a sling. This will help give your arms some relief that you desire.
• Wrap them in a soft blanket and hold them close to your chest while reassuring them of your love for them.

8.   Change in temperature

Babies react to extreme temperatures more than adults do. They grow in a warm environment – the womb. So, when the temperature becomes extremely too cold or hot they react by crying. For instance, if you want to change the baby’s diaper, and you remove their clothes, you notice that they sometimes cry when they feel too cold. Likewise, when they are too hot, they cry. They love a warm and not too hot environment.

How to create a balanced environment for babies

• Bundle them up in a blanket to keep them warm
• Ensure the room temperature is not too cold for them to sleep.

9.   Teething pain

Oh! How I hate this phase of the baby’s compulsory life experience. It is painful for them to bring out teeth. Babies bring out their first teeth from 4 to 13 months of age. This is a painful time for them. The pain starts when the teeth come out through the gum. They become fussy and cranky. Such babies cry suddenly and inconsolably. Below are teething remedies for your baby.

Teething remedies for babies

• Use teething rings – A teething ring gives your baby something they can chew. The pressure of the ring on their gum soothes the pain.
• Use teething toys – There are different teething toys. Ensure you check out the makeup of the toy because your baby will chew them a lot. Make sure they are washable too.
• Use the recommended pain killers. Visit your pediatrician for painkillers to help relieve the pain.

10.   Fever

Babies that cry suddenly and inconsolably may have a fever. They will cry for long hours because they are ill. So, if you notice an increase in their temperature above the normal 38 degrees C, take them to your doctor immediately.

11.   Baby empathy crying

Have you ever been in a hospital ward for newborns and noticed that babies were crying at the same time? The thing is, if a baby hears another one cry, they cry too. Not because they need anything, but just to show empathy to fellow babies. Studies showed that newborn babies can differentiate between the sounds of their own cries and older babies and other newborn cries. So, newborns are likely to cry when they hear other newborn cries.

It does not stop when they are newborns, this can continue till they are 9 months of age. I have witnessed countless scenarios where a mother is crying and the baby joins in the crying too. Lol. It was funny but possible.

So, always create a positive environment for your baby. Even if you are sad, try to get over it so that the baby will not sense it and becomes sad too.

12.   Wearing uncomfortable cloth

Wearing an uncomfortable dress for your baby can make the baby cry suddenly and inconsolably. They become irritable and cry when they are hot. Use your own clothing as a guide. Are you hot or cold? If you are comfortable in a t-shirt and shorts, then your baby should be comfortable wearing the same. When it is hot, dress them in a cotton short sleeve bodysuit that fastens beneath the crotch. When the temperatures cool down, you can add layers of clothing to keep them warm again.

Again, if it is so hot, you feel like undressing completely for air, remove all the clothing on your baby’s body and leave only the diaper.

Sometimes, clothing made of polyester and nylon can be itchy and uncomfortable, especially in summer. If you experience this, your baby will be uncomfortable in such dressings too. So, use soft breathable cotton at such times.

14.   Constipation

This is common for babies who have just started to eat solid food or formula foods. Such babies are prone to constipation. If the baby has not had bowel movements for some days, they are comfortable and cranky. Who wouldn’t be? When they find it hard to pass stools, they cry. To prevent this, follow the steps below:

How to relieve constipation in babies quickly?

• Massage the baby’s tummy from the belly button outwards in a circular motion
• Give the baby a warm bath to help relax so stools can pass quickly and easily
• Give the baby lots of fluids
• Engage the baby in exercises by laying them on their back and moving the legs in a cycling motion
• If the symptoms persist, consult your doctor.

15. Tiredness and fatigue

Wow! Do babies get tired? I wondered! What kind of work makes them tired? Babies get tired when they do not sleep for some reasons. For instance, it is normal for newborn babies to sleep after every two to three hours, if they did not sleep for any reason, they get fatigued and tired. Then, they cry, become fussy and uncomfortable.

When you notice your baby rubbing their eyes, crying and cranky, they are tired. If they whine and fuse for no reason, they are fatigued. What to do in such cases?

• Calm the baby down or feed them and put them to sleep
• Create a scheduled bedtime for your baby and keep to it.

It is time to learn how to calm your crying baby

Just stop for a moment and ask yourself

“Am I the cause of my baby crying all the time?

You should be tired of watching your baby cry for reasons unknown to you.

Do you really want to stop your baby from crying all the time?

If you do, then decide. Ensure your baby is not hungry, their diaper is not wet or dirty, and they’re not fighting off sleep.

Use the above points as a checklist to ensure your baby is comfortable all the time. When they are comfortable, the cries will reduce drastically and you can have the coolest baby in the world.

What about that?