Baby Secrets - The official Jo Tantum Website

Before Jo came to see me, my 7 week old son was crying for 5-6 hours at a time. I was at my wits end and everyone that I spoke to said "It's normal" or " Well, babies do cry"...!! I knew something was wrong. Soon after observing my son, Jo realised he was in pain and showing signs of silent reflux. My GP agreed and prescribed medication. Now he is happy, and only cries when he is hungry. I am so relieved and grateful for Jo's understanding and support. I couldn't have got through this difficult time without her." Anna - London

I know that its awful to hear your baby cry. It is one of the most heart wrenching, unsettling, distressing sounds. It is especially hard when you don't know the cause!

When a baby cries, people expect mothers to instinctively know the reason but it isn't always that straight forward. Many parents need time to get to know and understand their baby's needs before being able to quickly pinpoint exactly what is troubling them.

Six reasons why a baby normally cries

Below is a brilliant checklist that I have created which can be worked through quickly and easily (even by Dads) to establish the most likely cause of why your baby is crying. (Hint... print this out & stick it to your fridge!)

	Is baby hungry? When was his last feed?
	Is baby tired? When did he last sleep?
	Is he kicking his legs / writhing? Is there silence followed by a high scream? Is he making straining noises? - He may have wind, colic or constipation.
	Nappy may need changing.
	Is baby bored? Try a change of scenery or play with him.
	Check baby’s temperature; make sure he’s not too hot or too cold. A baby needs one more layer of clothing / bedding than an adult.

If your newborn baby won't stop crying, swaddle them, take them into a dark room and hold them close so that they can hear your heartbeat and say sshhh calmly and repetitively. This will make them feel as though they are back in the womb. They will feel safe and secure and stop crying.

Babies do cry, but it is always for a reason. Your baby is communicating with you, so try and listen and you will soon learn and be able to respond.

It is even more distressing when you seem to do everything and they are still crying.

Don’t let anyone tell you that it is normal for a baby if they are crying for long periods of time and cannot be soothed. Excessive crying to me is over 2-3 hours per 24 hours.

If you follow a simple routine you can work out the reasons that your baby is crying. Starting a log of your baby's sleeping and feeding patterns will help you see when they are crying for food or if they are tired. To give you an idea - New babies can only stay awake for 1 hour before getting tired and 6 months old babies can only stay awake for 2 hours before needing a nap.

"There is nothing more alarming than your own baby's cry - especially if you don't know the cause. Nature must have designed baby cries to bring maximum stress and worry to parents."

If you anticipate your baby’s feed time before they are too hungry, they don’t need to cry. If you put your baby down for a nap before they are overtired, they don’t need to cry. This way you have already stopped the main two reasons that your baby will cry .

Babies also get upset and frustrated when they have a blocked nose, this can cause crying when your baby can't feed or sleep. I advise parents to get the Baby Nose Clear aspirator to clear their noses before a feed as this will allow baby to latch on whilst breastfeeding and therefore they can feed more easily. I would also use before bedtime so they will sleep better.