What did you do when your baby cried? Would you pick her up every time, or did you ignore her wails and let her cry it out?
Should you pick up your baby when she cries? Many parents wonder what is the right thing to do. On one hand, if you pick her up everytime she lets out a wail, she will figure out that all she has to do to get held is scream, and may consequently cry more often.
On the other hand, if you don't pick her up and let her keep crying, she may develop insecurities and a low sense of self-esteem.
Help her fall asleep
Babies often cry when they are sleepy. If you let them cry it out, they will tire themselves and go to sleep eventually. Many parents swear by this method, and feel if they didn't let their babies cry it out, they would never get sleep themselves. And, a well-rested parent can do a more effective job of parenting during the day.
But when your baby cries to be put to sleep, she is not faking her cries. She is not crying to be close to you, or to manipulate you into doing something for her. Her cries are generally genuine. She is sleepy, uncomfortable and doesn't know what to do. The more she cries, the more frantic she becomes, until finally she is too tired to do anything and is overwhelmed by sleep.
Don't let her cry it out
Needless to say, this is not the best approach to putting your baby to sleep at night. A good balance would be to pick her up when she cries and to try and comfort her. At times babies fall asleep while feeding as they feel comforted, secure and relaxed so you could try feeding her. If she doesn't fall asleep, it helps if you alternate between comforting her and letting her cry a little so she tires herself out instead of just leaving her out there to battle it out on her own.
Identify the need
Your baby may be crying to express a need, or her cries may be just because she wants to be held. Identify the reason your baby could be crying. Is her nappy wet? Does she need to be burped? Is she too hot or too cold? Your healthy baby doesn't need to wear a sweater if you're not wearing one. Is she hungry? Hunger is one of the most common reasons babies cry. You may think that you've just fed her, so she should be hungry just half an hour later, but it doesn't work like that. Put your baby to your breast if she is crying, and if she's hungry, she will feed. Don't try and regulate the feeding hours of a newborn. Let her feed as often as she wants. Your baby will form a schedule herself as she grows older. If your baby seems to cry all the time and nothing you do seems to help, be with her, comfort her as much as you can, and don't stress yourself too much. Calm down, play some soothing music and just be with her. Don't get anxious, some babies just cry more than others, and that's alright.
