Why does my baby always cry in the middle of the night? Is there something wrong there? Will the incessant crying cause any harm? In fact, all newborns cry in the middle of the night, and most of them are normal. Parents just need to be patient, do what they need to do to check when their baby is crying, and give appropriate reassurance according to their baby's characteristics, so that they can get through the special crying stage.
Nocturnal crying is normal for newborns
Nocturnal crying is usually most noticeable in the fifth week of life and can last at least two hours a day, gradually decreasing until three months of age.
Newborns have about 16 hours of sleep a day, which decreases to 14 hours by 6 months of age. Before the age of 3 months, each sleep is very short, consisting of 2 to 3 sleep cycles (60 minutes for newborns and 90 minutes for adults) of about 3 to 4 hours, so babies seem to be sleeping and waking up, with most of their waking hours being spent crying. Even at 3 months of age, 20-30% of babies still cry for milk in the middle of the night, and 70-80% of babies will only sleep through the night at this stage.
Crying is your baby's way of communicating
Almost all newborns experience crying in the middle of the night, and the vast majority of them have no reason for it. For babies, they have not yet learnt how to calm down and they cannot express themselves, so 'crying' is the only way to communicate and convey messages. When your baby cries, you should not feel anxious as long as you are sure it is not due to illness.
7 steps to solve your baby's night crying
Many parents are at a loss as to what to do when their baby cries in the middle of the night. Doctors suggest following these 7 simple steps to determine the cause of your baby's crying and give him or her the right amount of reassurance and treatment so that he or she can sleep peacefully.
1. Check if your baby's cries are different from his usual daytime cries.
2. Check to see if your baby is hungry, as he will usually calm down when he is fed.
3. Check to see if the nappy is wet and change it if so.
4. Observe the baby's expressions, body movements and temperature.
5. Check for nappy rash, mosquito bites or skin rashes.
6. Create a quiet and comfortable environment with soft lighting or humming songs to him and playing some music to make him feel safe.
7. Pat your baby to calm him down. If he does not calm down after 15 to 20 minutes, it is very likely that he is.
If the baby does not calm down after 15-20 minutes, it is very likely that he is crying because he is not feeling well and needs to be taken to the doctor.