Newborns cry for many reasons and we may not even know how to comfort our babies, at times. Sometimes they just want to be held. Here are 4 reasons newborns cry.

Stuffy Nose

A stuffy nose can keep your little one uncomfortable. Babies need to breath through their nose when feeding. The first few weeks newborns have a lot of fluid from birth which can make them congested.

Use nasal drops, as needed to loosen up the mucus and then use a nasal aspirator to suck them out. I find my daughter gets congested, mainly at night. It’s best to remove the mucus after a diaper change and right before feeding baby. This results in a crying baby. Feeding in this order will calm baby and get her back to sleep.

Diaper Change

Newborns make wet and poop diapers a lot. Make it a habit to change baby’s diaper before each feeding. That will also help them wake up for their feeding and are less prone to diaper rashes.

Hungry

Probably the most obvious one. Look for hunger cues. Such as eating their hands, opening their mouth in search for milk or already crying. Newborns eat every 2-3 hours the first few weeks. Keep that in mind, as your baby should be gaining about an ounce a day. Since newborns sleep a lot, sometimes it’s hard to wake them up for their feedings. Which is why it’s good to do a diaper change before feeding. Wake up time! Nobody wants a cold wipe on them when sleeping!

Baby has Gas

Your newborn may have gas or needs to be burped. It may take a few days after birth for baby to burp. But it’s good to get into the habit of patting baby’s back. A good way to tell if she needs to be burped is, baby wants to latch on breast or bottle but starts to cry without actually latching. It’s going to be a diaper change or a burp at that point!

More Reasons

There are many reasons why babies cry. They could just to be held or even swaddled. Your baby could be hot, cold or even feeling sick. As a parent, you will learn your baby’s needs. After all you are both still getting to know each other!