What to Do If Your Baby Always Cries at Night

Nighttime arrives and your baby has all his needs met, but then starts crying for no apparent reason. Why is he crying and what can you do to help calm him down?

“What can I do if my baby always cries at night?” This is a common question parents ask themselves when, by the end of the evening, their baby starts to get upset more than usual for no apparent reason.

After checking that the baby isn’t hungry, cold, in pain or in need of a diaper change, then why is your baby uncontrollably crying?

There are some theories that may help you understand why your baby always cries at night. Learning about them can also help you reduce the frequency of these episodes. 

So keep reading to find out more!

Why do babies cry at night?

Babies cry to express their needs. It’s basically the only means of communication they can count on to let us know that something isn’t right.

The main factors that alter their mood are hunger, the need for human contact, their body temperature (they could be cold or hot), physical discomfort or pain.

However, depending on the age of your little one, the reason behind the crying may vary. This happens, for example, with babies who are only a few months old, who tend to cry at night without reason.

Some experts link this phenomenon to the “theory of anxiety” during the night. It’s said that while in the womb, the hours during which babies are more active and restless are at night.

Although it may sound strange, before babies are born, they maintain certain habits that are hard for them to let go of after birth.

Turns out that your baby may feel frustrated because of having to sleep or stay still during the hours in which he was most active or awake while in the womb.

Duration and consequences of the crying habit

Firstly, you must know that this is a temporary phase. It tends to last no more than a couple of months; it will eventually decrease and become intermittent.

Another important aspect to know about is that crying episodes tend to be short. They’ll never last more than 40 minutes and in fact, there are some tricks that can help you calm down your baby.

Does your baby always cry at night? Pediatricians say that if you look closely at the way your baby is crying, then you’ll notice that it’s an uncontrollable cry that literally sounds like angry screaming. 

In fact, that’s exactly what’s happening. Babies do this to try to relieve what pediatricians call “accumulated anxiety,” caused by all the new experiences and learning they’re going through throughout the day.

Plus, they’re also getting used to all their new imposed habits outside of the womb. So, crying uncontrollably actually helps them get it all out and relax. 

What to do if your baby always cries at night

You must know that your baby will control by himself, little by little, the time he takes to calm down and stop crying. Of course just letting him cry isn’t the best solution, but these tricks may still help. It will all depend on the day, the baby’s age, and the baby’s mood.

Nonetheless, the following tips can help make babies feel better and stop crying.

• Hold them and rock them gently and slowly as you talk in a calm and soft voice. This action comforts babies a lot but it shouldn’t last for more than 3 minutes. After that time, you should put them in their crib.
• Let babies cry in their crib, but for no more than 4-5 minutes. Give them a chance to release all the anxiety; they’ll feel more calm and will be able to sleep pleasantly.

As a final recommendation, it’s important that you know you mustn’t assume that your baby always cries at night only because of what the anxiety theory says.

Once you pay attention and make sure all his needs are met, you’ll be able to try and comfort him. Understand that this is only a temporary phase.