He always recommends parents respond to their baby's cries, especially for infants younger than 6 months old. “The more you respond to their needs like when they cry, the more secure their world becomes for them,” Obudzinski says.
"A lot of parents are unsure if they should pick up their baby when their baby cries," Professor Thorpe from QUT's Faculty of Education said. "The answer is: you should. Babies in the first 12 weeks of their life need highly responsive parents. They want and need a parent that is responsive to their cries."
According to research, no, you can't spoil your baby by picking them up, cuddling, or meeting their needs as soon as they cry. In fact, not only will you not spoil them, research has found many benefits to picking up your child whenever they cry.
Others, however, argue that picking a baby up reinforces crying, and that parents should leave the child. Now researchers say they have found that leaving infants to cry has no impact on their behavioural development or their attachment to their mother, but may help them develop self-control.
Sing or talk to the baby in a soothing voice. Gently rub or stroke the baby's back, chest or tummy. Offer a pacifier or try to distract the baby with a rattle or toy. Swaddle the baby with a soft blanket.
The goal of the CIO method is to let baby fuss and cry on her own until she eventually wears herself out and falls asleep on her own. In the beginning, you may end up having to let baby cry it out for 45 minutes to an hour before she goes to sleep, though it varies from baby to baby.
For the cry-it-out method, you let your baby cry until they fall asleep, and rest assured they will. Some babies may protest for 25 minutes, others 65 minutes, and some even longer. It's important not to put a time limit on it (that's a different sleep-training method).
It's OK to let your baby cry if the baby doesn't seem sick and you've tried everything to soothe your baby. You can try to leave your baby alone in a safe place, such as a crib, for about 10 to 15 minutes. Many babies need to cry before they can fall asleep. And they'll nod off faster if you leave them to cry.
Call your child's doctor or nurse during the day or night if any of the following occur: The baby has cried continuously for more than two hours. You are afraid that you or another caretaker may hurt the baby, or if someone has shaken the baby. If crying could be the result of an injury or fall.
Navigating newborn sleep
So why do babies stop crying when we stand up? Because being carried induces physiological responses that calm and soothe babies. Being carried by mom induces “central, motor, and cardiac regulations” that have a calming response stronger than rocking or other kinds of movement.
Babies cry a lot because it is a method of communication for them. When baby first begins to stay asleep throughout the night, it is because they are learning to self-soothe. Babies typically learn to self-soothe around 6 months.
Pathological self-soothing behaviours generally have an escapist quality to them. When our discomfort becomes too much for us to handle, we can 'escape' or 'flee' from the discomfort through overindulging in food (comfort eating), alcohol and drugs (self-medication), gambling, shopping, sex addiction (acting out).
It triggers an emotional response to rush in and provide comfort, but letting your child cry it out teaches them to self-soothe. If a parent is constantly picking up their child when they awaken at night, the child is less likely to learn how to fall asleep on their own.
Key points. Mothers and babies are designed to be a mutually responsive dyad. Babies express their needs to the mother (or caregiver) through crying. Letting babies "cry it out" is a form of need-neglect that leads to many long-term effects.
Excessive infant crying doubles the risk of behavioral, hyperactivity, and mood problems at the age of 5–6, as reported by their mother. Maternal burden of infant care partially mediates the association between excessive crying and behavioral and mood problems.
Long continued or oft-repeated crying can produce so much cortisol that it can damage a baby's brain, she says. "That doesn't mean that a baby should never cry or that parents should worry when she does. All babies cry, some more than others.
“Assuming there are no medical issues, there is no harm in a baby's excessive crying,” he says. “They may get a hoarse voice, but they will eventually get tired and stop crying. Your baby may also get a little gassy from swallowing air while crying, but that's OK.
Studies have shown that infants as young as one month-old sense when a parent is depressed or angry and are affected by the parent's mood. Understanding that even infants are affected by adult emotions can help parents do their best in supporting their child's healthy development.
It's normal to feel stressed when babies cry.
A crying baby can rattle even the most level-headed person. Why? It has to do with the way our brains are wired. We feel a sense of urgency when babies cry.
Crying Too Much
Colic is hard and uncontrollable crying that lasts for more than three hours a day, more than three days a week, in an otherwise healthy baby. It usually occurs late in the afternoon or early evening when parents are also tired.
What Is PURPLE Crying? PURPLE crying is a stage that some babies go through when they seem to cry for long periods of time and resist soothing. Your baby may find it hard to settle or calm down no matter what you do for them. The phrase PURPLE crying was coined by the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome.
It is best to hold the baby on demand up to the age of 12 months old. Babies up to this age are still developing emotionally and may require frequent attention and care from their parents. However, you may also try identifying the possible need of the baby.
Bad Effects of Crying on Health
It can lead to fits or can cause acute shortness of breath. For those with severe heart conditions, there can be a cardiac pain. Crying can take a toll on your body if you have certain medical conditions. For most people crying does more good for their body than harm.