When Your Baby Is Crying
When I was expecting my daughter, I often imagined what it would be like to spend time with her. In my ideal imaginary world, I would hold her in my arms and caress her happily and she would always smile to me contently and happily. But soon after she was born, it came as a revelation to me: babies cry! The first time I watched her little face wrinkling, sweet little mouth opening and the loudest scream I had ever heard being produced, I thought: “Oh! My! God! She is crying! What shall I do?” I felt like an idiot. It seemed to me that I was the only mother on the planet who could not take care of her own child. Luckily, soon I found out that all mothers feel exactly the same.
The matter is crying is the only way a baby can show you that he does not feel comfortable. And he only feels comfortable if his basic needs are satisfied. For a baby, these needs are very simple, but absolutely crucial:
- Love
- Food
- Physical comfort
- Security
- Information
The most secure place for a baby is in his mother’s arms. The more you carry the baby and hug him, the calmer he will be. If the baby starts crying, take him at once. Even if he does not stop, do not try to put him back into his cot. A child under three is unable to calm down on his own. If you leave a crying baby, he will finally fall asleep, but only because the nervous system was overloaded. However, if he knows that his mother is near him, he will trust the world more and know he is safe and protected.
