Why Do Babies Cry?

Just seeing this crying baby puts me in distress!

How do you feel when you hear your baby or any other cry?
What do you want to do?
Would you let your baby cry for long periods of time?

You've probably heard that "crying is okay, it is good for their lungs, makes them stronger". But it's really hard for parents and caretakers to let babies cry because of the physical impact it has on each one of us. When a baby cries the hairs on our arms or back of necks will actually rise. This causes us to instinctively want to sooth the baby to make ourselves feel better. But is crying normal? Should you stop a baby from crying? Is your baby in pain?

Read these articles and then decide how you feel about crying babies.

Psychology Today, Dangers of Crying It Out. Time Magazine, It's Okay to Let Them Cry it Out.

Check out the Purple Crying website to get a better understanding about crying babies and the relationship to Shaken Baby Syndrome.

I have taught our new GRADS parents about the Happiest Baby approach to calming a fussy baby.

Please skim over these frequently asked questions on Dr. Karp's website about using the Happiest Baby approach. Compare Karp's strategy with the suggestions in this slide show about calming fussy babies.