CRYING is a baby’s alert to their caregiver that they need help with overwhelming feelings and bodily sensations that are frightening.

It may surprise you to learn that babies don’t cry to exercise their lungs or just for the hell of it, they are crying to alert you to the fact they need help.

As the baby brain is not yet developed enough to cope with these feelings and emotions, crying is an indication that they are unhappy, that something is bothering them emotionally or physically.

At first it can be difficult to interpret what individual cry’s mean. As parents and carers both you and your baby are on a journey of discovery – with time you will know them better than anyone.

Babies cry for many reasons. They will cry because they are hungry, tired, or because there is too much fuss. Sometimes there will be no apparent reason for your baby’s cry, what is important is that you respond to them with love and are able to bring them to a calm place.

If your baby is left to ‘cry it out’ often this can be truly damaging to the developing brain. During this time the distress levels build up and a hormonal chain reaction starts, the stress hormone cortisol is released, this floods the brain and at the same time there is a withdrawal of chemicals that promote well-being.

Comforting your baby when they cry releases the love hormone Oxytocin. This will help to develop effective stress response systems, which will enable your child to cope with stress effectively as they grow.

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See: www.parentandbabycoach.co.uk