Fussy Baby at Night

When you have a baby at home who cries at night, it's quite tough to find out what exactly is bothering the baby in the commotion to quiet it. You try out many things like changing the diapers, feeding it, singing to it or even taking him out for walks in the middle of the night. But it's not very easy to find out if there are any internal problems that are bothering it. Since a baby cannot communicate or express the pain, the only way it can show something's wrong is by crying and making a fuss. Generally babies in the first few months after birth take time to adapt and adjust to the environment outside the mother's womb and thus they turn fussy at night. The normal human system may suffer from gas, rashes, acidity and many other metabolic issues which can be expressed by grown ups but not by babies. The only way you can take care of a fussy baby at night is to feed it and keep it clean as much as you can.

Fussy Baby at Bedtime

A newborn, as mentioned above is very new to the atmosphere outside the mother's womb and takes at least some months to adjust. They sleep for as much as 16 hours a day and sometimes even more, stretching to about 3 to 4 hours continuously. They have different types of sleeps in these 16 hours like drowsiness, rapid eye movement, light sleep, deep sleep and very deep sleep. If the baby feels anything wrong in the first few stages of sleep, it may not be very fussy. But when there are disturbances which awaken it from the later stages of deep sleep, it gets quite fussy and is very difficult to put back to sleep. Given below are some causes and remedies to manage a fussy baby at night.

Causes

• The first and the most basic reasons for a fussy baby at night is because it needs a diaper change and the wet one is making sleep uncomfortable.
• Hunger is another reason, if you haven't fed it according to the daily schedule. If you have fed it but is still hungry and not full, you may just about have a fussy baby at night. They need to be fed every two hours in the first few months and thus need to take care of their little tummies.
• If the baby is feeling hot or cold and can't sleep due to environment conditions. Usually babies need thick bedding around them but sometimes can sweat or get chills due to the weather.
• Body rashes and boils in uncomfortable places can also lead to making the baby cry and fuss about sleeping.
• Gas or acidity inside the tummy can also make the baby's sleep difficult and unmanageable.
• If your baby is suffering from chickenpox, fever, diarrhea or any other health issues, you are definitely going to stay up all night.

How to Comfort a Crying Baby

• When you know that your baby is crying and can't get sleep, check if he has a dirty diaper and if yes, then change it.
• If your baby is hungry, don't ignore it because you haven't got sleep, feed it till it sleeps peacefully and then take your nap.
• Having a baby and taking care of it for the first few years till it is dependent on you is not an easy job. Make sure you've checked for rashes and other skin abnormalities before you put your baby off to sleep, as all it can do when things go wrong is cry.
• If it has an illness like a common cold or any of the above mentioned diseases, make sure you've given the proper medicines so it gets sound sleep and doesn't fuss at night.
• After you have checked all the necessary things for the night, sing your baby a lullaby and let it sleep on you.
• The parent's touch or voice is a big comfort for children and gives them the assurance that they are protected and safe. Once the baby is asleep on your shoulder or arms, lay it in the crib (don't forget to keep its favorite toy with it).

Even if you have a fussy baby at night, I am sure you love to play with the tiny fingers and watch it when it's asleep. Being a parent is a beautiful experience and sacrificing your sleep and health for those little ones is definitely worth it, isn't it?