Crying, Age 3 and
Younger
Crying is your
child''s first way of
communicating. The
amount of time your baby
spends crying usually
increases from birth
until your baby is about
6 weeks old, when your
baby may cry between 1
and 5 hours out of 24.
After 6 weeks of age,
your baby will gradually
cry less as he or she
finds other ways of
communicating or
consoling himself or
herself. However, some
young children seem to
cry for no obvious
reason. About 1 in 5
children has daily
crying spells of 15
minutes to an hour,
often in the evening.
Crying lets others
know when a young child
is hungry, wet, tired,
too warm, too cold,
lonely, or in pain. If
your child is crying,
try to identify the type
of cry. It helps to go
through a mental
checklist of what might
be wrong and make sure
your child is safe and
cared for. As parents or
caregivers respond to
the young child''s other
signals (such as
whimpering, facial
expressions, and
wiggling), the child
will usually cry less.
Parents and
caregivers become better
over time at identifying
the young child''s cry.
A young child will often
have different kinds of
cries.
Crying related to
normal development and
behavior
- Hungry cries.
Hungry cries start
with a whimper and
become louder and
longer. Your hungry
child will eagerly
accept feeding and
stop crying.
- Upset cries.
Upset cries are loud
and start suddenly.
Your young child may
be afraid, bored, or
lonely. As your
child gets older,
upset crying may be
a reaction to such
things as loud
noises, frustration
with clothing or
toys, or fear of
strangers.
- Pain cries.
Pain cries start
with a high-pitched,
strong wail followed
by loud crying.
These cries sound
very irritating and
may make you feel
anxious. Usually, a
young child in pain
will have
other signs of pain
along with crying.
Commonly, pain cries
may be caused by:
- A recent
immunization.
Your child may
be fussy, cry
more than usual,
and have a fever
after receiving
an immunization,
especially
diphtheria,
pertussis, and
tetanus (DTaP)
shots. However,
he or she will
look well even
while continuing
to cry.
-
Teething.
Teething
symptoms may
begin about 3 to
5 days before a
tooth breaks the
skin, although
symptoms can be
present off and
on for 1 to 2
months. The most
common symptoms
of teething
include
swelling,
tenderness, or
discomfort in
the gums at the
site of the
erupting tooth;
drooling; biting
on fingers or
toys;
irritability; or
difficulty
sleeping.
-
Constipation.
A crying episode
that usually
occurs while the
child is trying
to pass a stool
normally will
stop when the
stool is passed.
-
Diaper rash.
Irritated skin
around the
thighs,
genitals,
buttocks, or
abdomen may make
a child cry
persistently,
especially when
a diaper is wet
or soiled.
-
Colic
behavior, which
may sound like a
pain cry. Colic
is extreme
crying behavior
in a baby
between 3 weeks
and 3 months of
age. During a
crying episode,
a colicky baby
may cry loudly
and
continuously, be
difficult to
console, get red
in the face,
clench the
fists, and arch
his or her back
or pull the legs
up to the
stomach.
- Abdominal
cramps from
overfeeding
or
milk intolerance.
Overeating or
swallowing too
much air during
feeding can
cause abdominal
cramps, which in
turn can make a
baby cry. Crying
also may occur
if your child is
not able to
completely
digest the
natural sugar
(lactose) found
in cow''s milk
or foods made
from cow''s
milk. The baby
will often spit
up some of the
feeding and may
have loose
stools.
- A minor
illness, such as
a cold or
stomach flu
(gastroenteritis).
Crying related
to an illness
often begins
suddenly. In
most cases,
there are other
signs of illness
such as fever,
looking sick,
and decreased
appetite.
- Minor
injuries. Your
child is likely
to cry to alert
you to minor
injuries, such
as an eyelash in
the eye, an
insect bite, an
open diaper pin
in the skin, or
a strand of hair
wrapped around a
finger, toe, or
the penis.
- Overtired or
overstimulated cries.
Crying can be your
young child''s way
of releasing tension
when there is too
much noise,
movement, or
activity in his or
her environment or
when he or she is
overtired.
Crying related to a
serious illness or
injury
On rare occasions,
crying may indicate a
serious illness or
injury. Crying caused by
a serious illness or
injury usually lasts
much longer than normal.
- Some illnesses
may cause persistent
crying. These
include common
infections, such as
ear infections (otitis
media) or
urinary tract
infections, and
rarer infections,
such as
meningitis,
encephalitis, or
sepsis with
dehydration. A
persistent cry in a
newborn may be the
first sign of a
serious illness,
such as sepsis.
- A serious injury
from a fall, being
shaken, or
abuse may cause
a child to cry for a
long time. Other
signs of injury,
such as swelling,
bruising, or
bleeding, are
usually present.
Crying related to
medical conditions
Certain medical
conditions can cause a
young child to cry, such
as
gastroesophageal reflux,
inguinal hernia, or
intussusception.
Children with genetic
conditions, such as cri
du chat ("cat''s cry")
syndrome or
phenylketonuria (PKU),
may have a
different-sounding cry
but one that is normal
for them.
Crying and shaken
baby syndrome
Crying can be very
frustrating for a parent
or caregiver. However,
do not get angry at your
child for crying. Never
shake or harm your
child. Shaking a child
in anger or playing
rough, such as throwing
him or her into the air,
can injure the brain.
Shaken baby syndrome
needs to be reported to
your health
professional. If you
find that you are losing
patience or are afraid
that you may hurt your
child:
- Place your child
in a safe place
while you go into
another room, relax,
and calm yourself.
- Ask someone to
help you. If you
can''t find someone
to take over for you
and you still feel
out of control, call
your health
professional.
Review the
Emergencies and Check
Your Symptoms sections
to determine if and when
your child needs to see
his or her health
professional. |
