What Do Different Types of Baby Cries Mean?
You hear a baby cry, and your first instinct is that something is wrong. This is not always the case! Babies can cry for many different reasons, and each cry means something different.
“Different kinds of cries?” You may ask. Yes! Babies actually have different cries for their needs. Some babies make distinctly different noises for their various needs, while other babies may be harder to decipher, but each baby has different noises to express their needs.
Why Is My Baby Crying?
Unlike you and me, your baby has very limited means of communication. Babies rely on their cries to express what they need!
While it is true that there are countless reasons that your baby can be crying, it can ultimately be broken down into a few different categories. It is usually caused by hunger, becoming overtired, discomfort, and feeling upset! Although there are many different reasons that your baby can be crying, there are different kinds of cries that can help clue you into what exactly they need.
What Are The Different Cries?
Babies make a few different noises that mean different things. There are said to be five different baby noises. These are a little difficult to type out, but bear with us. They are:
“Eairh”- Attempting to pass gas
“Eh”- Sound along with burps
“Neh”- Usually means hunger
“Owh”- Usually signifies they are tired and may be accompanied by yawning
“Heh”- Might signal discomfort
These are a guideline to help you learn to recognize the different sounds your baby could mean.
What Do The Cries Mean?
As we talked about above, each cry has a different meaning behind it. Here are some of the meanings in depth:
Hunger
This is the reason that everyone jumps when they hear a baby cry. While it is quite a frequent reason behind crying, it isn’t the only one! This cry usually starts as a little whimper and gradually becomes louder. Once they’re really hungry, they’re sure to let you know! This cry is an easy fix by feeding them.
Upset
Like anyone else, your baby can become upset for various reasons. These cries typically happen out of the blue without warning and are loud. Before doing anything else, you should check their diaper to see if it is soiled.
If they’re dry or continue to cry after a diaper change, they could become startled by a noise or person or are just simply bored or lonely. Comfort your baby or entertain them to help them mellow out.
Overstimulated/Overtired
Have you ever found yourself in a place where there is too much going on, and you feel the overwhelming urge to run away? Your baby has, too! Especially being so young, it is easy for them to become overstimulated by loud noises, large groups of people, and just general hustle and bustle.
Becoming overtired is another stressor for babies. When they are small, they require upwards of eighteen hours a day of sleep! If your baby is overstimulated or overtired, it’s best to move them to another location where they can relax.
Pain
As much as we want to shield our baby from anything negative in this world, unfortunately, it can still happen! When they are this young, gas, diaper rashes, and teething are common culprits of pain or discomfort. Painful cries are typically loud wails followed by loud crying. Most people would agree that these are the most heartbreaking cries to hear!
If you suspect gas is the reason behind your little one's discomfort, you can help them out by pedaling their legs as if they were riding a bicycle. If this exercise doesn’t work, you can use gas relief drops to help your baby naturally work the gas out.
Tending To Your Baby
As a parent or caregiver, our job is to love them and take care of their needs. It is impossible to spoil a baby, so their calls for help should be answered in a timely manner. This will help build their trust in you and strengthen your bond.
If you are unsure of why your baby is crying, the best thing you can do for your baby is to meet the most important needs first. Start by changing their diaper and offering them a bottle. If this doesn’t soothe their cries, it could be from overstimulation, being overtired, or simply bored! Moving down the list of potential reasons your baby is crying is the best way to solve the problem if you cannot tell the difference between their cries.
If you’ve tried all that you can think of to soothe your baby and nothing is working, try some of these actions:
Rock your baby in your arms or in a rocking chair
Rub their head and back
Swaddle them
Sing and talk to them
Play relaxing music to calm their nerves
Go on a walk
Turn on a noise machine or rhythmic noise
Burp them and use other techniques to release gas
Give them a warm bubble bath with lavender (lavender is known to have a calming effect)
Monitor Your Baby’s Cries with Baby Connect
You may have difficulty picking up on your baby’s different cries. This can be a difficult thing to learn, especially as a new parent! I myself had trouble picking up on my babies’ different cries, as many of them sounded the same to me in the beginning. Rest assured, as you and your baby get to know each other, you will pick up on their cues!
Especially in the early days, you may not realize what they are asking for with their cries. This is why keeping track of their schedule is so important. Monitoring their daily schedule with Baby Connect will allow you to figure out what your baby is asking for with their different cries! Try it for free today.
