Why Does My Baby Cry So Much?

This is the entry who won the Momsquawk Facebook Contest.  The winner chosen was based on the total number of likes and comments on the note.  Congratulations Samantha Bangayan!  You can click the title to go to the Momsquawk Facebook Page of her entry or click her name to go to her site.


Why Does My Baby Cry So Much?


by Samantha Bangayan


If there was only one thing I could tell all new mothers, I would tell them about the “Period of PURPLE Crying.” Dr. Ronald Barr, the Canada Research Chair in Community Child Health Research, discovered that infants between 2 and 16 weeks of age go through a normal stage of development when they cry more often. Despite being healthy, babies at these ages may cry for no reason at all and nothing the mother does will be able to soothe the baby. Mothers need to know that they are not bad mothers and that their babies are not bad babies when this happens.

Dr. Barr identified six characteristics of this period of crying that you can easily remember with the acronym, “Purple”:

P = The peak of crying happens when the baby hits 8 weeks.

U = Crying can happen unexpectedly.

R = Your baby may resist soothing.

P = Even though your baby may show a pain-like face, he or she may be just fine.

L = Periods of crying can be long lasting.

E = Babies often cry more during the late afternoon and evenings in this period.

When you feel like you’ve tried everything and you’re at your wits’ end, here are some tips to deal with the frustration:

1. Accept help from others. You need to take care of yourself too, so take your parents or friends up on their offers to babysit. As much as it’s valuable to model self-sacrifice for your baby, it’s also important to be a model of self-care. Parents need breaks too!

2. Connect with other parents. There’s nothing more relieving than being able to relate with others who are in the same boat. Share stories, tips and ideas on how to soothe your baby, regain your composure and cope as new parents.

3. Put the baby down. If there’s no one around to lend a hand, know that it’s okay to place your baby in a safe place for 5 to 10 minutes. Leaving your baby for a short amount of time will not lead to abandonment issues; on the contrary, babies will eventually learn and have confidence that when a parent leaves, they will always be back.




This entry of Ms. Bangayan was an eye-opener for me for many reasons.  Though I do not totally agree with this but I could say that to some extent I have experienced such stage with my babies.  I have a long story to tell of my experience so I'll just give you a link to my own journey in what is called 'Period of Purple Crying'.