Babies cry for so many reasons. Our little man has certainly done plenty of crying throughout these past seven months. There reasons have varied greatly, and distinguishing his needs has been a difficult process. Following is a list of reasons that I have encountered, which I hope will be helpful for you.

Your Baby is Hungry

This is usually my first thought when my little guy gets fussy. If you are nursing your child, this is a great soothing method. Of course, sometimes he is just not hungry. If your baby is refusing to feed, then you need to try something else.

Your Baby Needs You

The Moby Wrap has been an excellent way to stay close to my child and still get some things done. One word of warning, it can get pretty warm in there, so this is probably not the best product for a summer baby. If you can use it, though, it is amazing. It soothes my child instantly, and he sits calmly in it as long as I stay on my feet. I have put him to sleep several times in the Moby, especially when he gets so worked up he won’t go to sleep any other way. I found the videos on the Moby Wrap site to be very helpful when learning how to wrap my little one.

Your Baby is Feeling Overloaded

Sometimes baby just gets overwhelmed by all they are learning and they need to be calmed down. Perhaps the most effective calmer has been the vacuum. Especially when I have him in the Moby, if I start running the vacuum, he becomes calm and content.

He has also found the Christmas lights to be mesmerizing, or watching cars pass outside the window. If the weather is nice enough, a walk outside has also been known to help. I have used that trick a few times after he was upset from getting shots. Whatever works, right?

Your Baby Doesn’t Feel Good

Sometimes he is gassy, at which times I try to pump his legs up and down to try to get the gas moving. I also found that gripe water has helped, though I am a little leery of the glycerin in the ingredient list. If you want to make your own version, you can make some chamomile tea, steeping it with fennel seeds and ginger root. Just make sure you cool the tea before you give it to your child, and I don’t recommend sweetening it.

Teething has been another ongoing issue. We occasionally use a little teething gel to help him out. Teething rings have proved to be useless, as he quickly discards them. Since he turned six months old, I decided to start freezing ‘fries’ of different foods for him to chew on. You can read more about that in my blog: Sweet Potato Fries: The Perfect Teether?

Your Baby is Bored

This was perhaps the most shocking reason for me. My child gets bored fairly easy, which is something I think he gets from me. He started getting bored at around three months old, and we had to start getting him toys. We have to regularly switch things up for him so he will stay entertained, though sometimes the only thing that will do is mom or dad.

Those are just a few of the things I have tried that have helped me out. It is a challenge to figure out what your child wants, but be patient with yourself and your little one. Has your baby cried and the reason surprised you? What were you able to do to stop him or her from crying? I would love to hear all about it!