7 Reasons You Shouldn’t Ignore Your Crying Baby

7 Reasons You Shouldn’t Ignore Your Crying Baby

9 Mar 2022 | 4 min Read

Sayani Basu

Author | 607 Articles

Crying is the only way babies communicate, till they are older and learn to talk. A baby’s feeding, environment, and temperament have a deep impact on their behaviour. The crying patterns of babies change as they grow older.

Babies cry when they are hungry, uncomfortable, unwell and when their diapers are soiled. Babies also have crying sessions without any reason during certain hours in the day or night. It can sometimes happen in the late afternoon, evening, or early night hours: anywhere between 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. 

This usually happens when the baby is between 2 to 6 weeks and decreases by the time the baby is around 3 months old. This is also known as witching hours.

  The causes for this can be:

  •  Since evenings are the most hectic and stressful time in the house, when there’s a lot going on.
  • The baby is tired. New born babies usually get tired quickly.
  • Babies go through growth sprouts for almost about a year from the time they are born.
  • Supply of milk is not enough. It’s common for breastfeeding mums to have a slower or lower milk flow towards the end of the day, and the baby may not get enough milk.

As a new mum you may think that baby crying is an everyday thing, and ignore the cries but is it not advisable to ignore your crying baby.

Why Shouldn’t You Ignore Your Crying Baby?

When babies cry and are unattended, they experience panic and anxiety. | Image Source: freepik

With every screaming, there comes crucial information about a baby’s level of distress. Here are some reasons you shouldn’t ignore your crying baby:

  1. Babies left to cry can suffer brain damage: Reports suggest that when babies cry and are unattended, they experience panic and anxiety. During this time, their bodies and brains are flooded with adrenaline and cortisol stress hormones. 

When the brain tissue is exposed to these hormones for a long time, these nerves fail to form connections to other nerves. Thus, they are at risk of suffering from damage to their developing brains. 

They might also face increased aggression and impulsive behaviour later in life.

  1. Ignoring cries can impair verbal expression: When parents ignore their baby’s cry, the little one feels that he/ she is unable to communicate. 

This can affect the little one’s verbal skills. They might not want to learn to speak initially. It can be difficult for them to understand their emotions, and have a problem while putting them into words.

  1. The ‘unhappy’ emotions may be suppressed: A baby’s ‘unhappy’ emotions may be suppressed when a baby’s crying is left unattended. 

As he/ she grows up, the child would tend to suppress his internal emotions. This in turn hampers the psychological development later.

  1. Neglected babies have a higher chance of dependency later in life: Some parents may think that ignoring their baby’s crying will make the little one more independent. 

The real scene is completely different. According to a 1994 study, parents who respond to a baby’s crying have raised independent children.

Showing love, cuddling, and giving attention can make your baby more secure and less demanding. | Image Source: freepik

  1. Makes them more secure and less demanding when they grow older: Parents should not ignore their crying babies. Showing love, cuddling, and giving attention can make them more secure and less demanding not only now but also when they grow older.

  1. Crying for prolonged periods can lower their IQ: Excessive and uncontrolled crying amongst babies can cause cognitive deficits during childhood. 

Studies show that children with prolonged crying in the first three months after birth had IQ levels and had poor fine motor abilities.

  1. Allergies and diaper rashes can also go unattended if parents ignore their crying baby: Solid foods are introduced to babies after six months of age. 

Research suggests that cow’s milk, eggs, soy and peanuts can cause allergic reactions to your little one. The only way of informing parents about the allergy is by crying. Hence, the baby’s cry should not be unattended.

 Newborns wear diapers throughout the day. A baby’s skin is delicate and gets irritated when a soiled diaper is left on for too long. If left unattended, it can cause severe infection.

Your baby is too little to take care of him/ herself and even though their cries can be stressful and tiring for you at times, remember it’s only for a little while. It’s best to leave what you are doing, and attend to the little human in your life, because they grow up at the speed of lightning!

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