Pediatrics

Help in dealing with a cry baby

Definition: what is a screaming child?

A screaming child or crying baby is noticeable through particularly frequent and persistent screaming. Doctors speak of a screaming child if a child screams for at least three hours on at least three days a week and this behavior has lasted for more than three weeks.

The screaming is particularly intense in the first three months of life. During this time, however, the screaming is felt to be particularly shrill. Often the babies clench their hands, arch their backs towards the hollow back and pull their legs up. You can see the effort in the child - usually the face turns dark red. Nevertheless, they usually do not manage to find rest during the day and thus usually only sleep about half an hour.

What are the causes of a cry baby?

The cause in this sensitivity could be not yet finally clarified become. However, a study showed that smoking during pregnancy - as with so many diseases - poses an increased risk. It is also discussed whether the mother's psychological stress during pregnancy has an influence.

In recent years it has been found that the cause of most children is not three-month colic, but rather a difficulty in processing environmental stimuli. A maximum of ten percent of children suffer from food intolerance, such as the opposite Cow or soy milk. Often, even without food intolerance, a bloated stomach becomes visible in the baby cribs, which is usually justified by the fact that the children swallow air while screaming.

It is assumed that screaming children are overwhelmed by the new sensory stimuli and are stressed. Other children soon find a way to control their attention and to switch off or sleep when they are overwhelmed. You can also effectively calm yourself down by sucking on your finger or the pacifier.

A cry baby has great difficulty doing this. Due to their alert and attentive manner, they participate more in their environment and concentrate too much on what is happening around them.

You might also be interested in: Causes of behavioral problems in children

Stress in Pregnancy

Pregnancy stress is seen as a possible causative factor for crying babies. Strong emotional stress primarily plays a role here. Cigarette consumption during pregnancy could also be a cause.

You might also be interested in: How dangerous is smoking during pregnancy?

The ultimate causal factor has not yet been conclusively clarified, but it can be assumed that stress in pregnancy is part of the causative structure. Future studies will have to investigate the causes in more detail.

diagnosis

First, a physical cause for the screaming should be ruled out during a detailed diagnosis. These include:

Allergies
Pain
Infections
organic diseases.

If no conspicuous examination result could be found, the diagnosis of a crying baby results from the description of the child's parents. Report this to her baby at least three out of 7 days a week for three hours screams - and has been since over three weeks If this continues, the doctors and midwives speak of a screaming child. The screaming is perceived as particularly shrill and intense. The children cry particularly hard in their first three months of life.

What is the best way to calm your cry baby?

Crying babies are particularly sensitive to environmental stimuli and often fail to control their attention and, if necessary, switch off when they are overwhelmed. Therefore, with a screaming child, it is important to contain the flood of stimuli and to organize a daily routine as regularly as possible.

Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet that will bring every screaming child to rest. However, observing almost fixed times for eating, playing and cuddling times, sleeping and much more has often proven to be calming for the child. The baby should take a break every one to one and a half hours.

In addition, fixed rituals can help the child find sleep. So can a always the same lullaby make it easier to fall asleep. Try not to overwhelm your child if possible. If they turn their head away while you are trying to show the child something, they are probably already tired and overwhelmed and can easily be brought to rest by then. Many parents also report that it is helpful to carry the child around for a while or to lie quietly next to the child in order to influence them positively through your own rest. The Physical near very often calms the child down. Affected parents should remain calm and relaxed as much as possible. Stress and nervousness often add to the worrying of the child, which can start a vicious circle.

Can a scream clinic help?

A scream ambulance does one professional help in dealing with the child. These outpatient departments are often affiliated with pediatrician practices, clinics and other advice centers. The therapists in such a facility show the parents concerned when the child is overwhelmed and how you can play and communicate with him without overwhelming him. The children learn to develop and strengthen their self-regulation, while the parents find their strength and resources again and overcome feelings of guilt and insecurities.

Parents of baby babies should not hesitate to seek professional help. Some outpatient clinics speak of success rates of up to 90 percent within an average of four appointments, with 45 percent of the patients being able to be fully treated and 44 percent having experienced significant stabilization.

Concomitant symptoms

A distended belly is often noticeable in the writing babies. This symptom was considered the cause of screaming until a few years ago. There was talk of the "three-month colic" that troubles children and causes them pain. However, scientists found that this is less about the causes of the crying and more about an accompanying symptom that the cot babies develop. The bloated stomach is caused by swallowing more air while screaming.

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In addition, the child's appetite is often reduced during this phase. Very few children also suffer from digestive tract disease. Which includes Food intolerance, such as against cow and soy milk, and inflammation of the esophagus by for example heartburn.

How long can a cry baby cry in one go?

Infants scream particularly persistently and loudly, without getting tired or hoarse quickly. With this crying technique, babies in particular can often scream for hours without having to take a break.

It is therefore difficult to give a maximum duration, but children have been reported to shout for ten hours or more consistently. This persistent state can be extremely stressful and demanding for parents. It is therefore advisable to seek professional help before you are completely overwhelmed and shake the children out of their own tension or scream alone.

Until what month does the baby cry?

Crying babies often start screaming attacks around the second week of life and usually end at the beginning of the fourth month of life. In some cases, the crying child phase does not end until the end of the first six months or a little later. Some parents report that screaming stops from one day to the next.

What can parents do about being overwhelmed?

It is often not easy to remain calm as a parent in this situation. Affected parents should therefore seek help before they are completely overwhelmed. Grandparents or friends may be able to temporarily relieve them and thus give them the opportunity to come to themselves again. Midwives can also be a relief aid who can give advice to parents.

If the parents of cot babies occasionally reach their own limits, they should short leave the room to relax a little. Under no circumstances should the child be left roaring or even shaken unattended for long periods of time.

Affected parents can seek professional help in a Schrei ambulance, who will work with the parents to develop strategies to deal with the situation. There the infants learn to develop their natural self-regulation and the parents learn not to overwhelm their child and to calm it down at the right moment.

Can Osteopathy Help?

Osteopathy can help screaming children relax better and faster. Osteopaths speak of possible blockages that cause pain and discomfort to the children. An osteopath tries to loosen these blockages in order to give the child relaxation. Osteopathy is certainly not the only help for every child in this situation. It is therefore recommended to give osteopathy a chance to find out whether it is helpful for the individual in this regard.

homeopathy

So far, homeopathy has not been proven to be an effective therapy in any study. Therefore, one should be careful whose opinion one is listening to. However, the homeopathic remedies have not been shown to have any significant side effects, so that everyone can try homeopathy for themselves without fear of dangers. Homeopathy recommends writing babies Chamomilla, Colocynthis or Lycopodium, to name just a few examples.

What is the long-term development of writing babies?

Some studies have shown a connection between screaming children and behavioral problems in children and adolescents. This means that it is assumed that more children are socially conspicuous who were a cry baby than those who were not. They are often even more sensitive to their environment and its stimuli later than inconspicuous babies, which is expressed in ADHD, anxiety, depression or even aggression can.

Therefore, the problems of babies, especially those who cry out, should be taken seriously. Schrei ambulances and consultation hours can be of great help here, and they can show a clear success in 90 percent of cases.

Read more about it: The stages of early childhood development

Does the intelligence of writing babies differ?

This question has not yet been conclusively clarified. It is often assumed that screaming children react more sensitively to stimuli from their environment, but also quickly feel overwhelmed by them. They are quick and easy to arouse mentally, but take longer until they are in a mental relaxation again.

What can be the long-term effects in a cry baby?

It is assumed that children scream later too are more prone to behavioral problems than others. They are more likely to show aggressive and destructive behavior and attention deficits. Therefore, children's problems should be taken seriously. A crying clinic can help here, which can provide considerable relief for almost all children and parents. But of course not all former screaming children become socially conspicuous or problematic. About 60 percent of children develop normally.

Find out more about this topic at: How do you recognize behavior problems in babies?

What is the connection with ADHD?

The "Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder "What has been on everyone's lips in recent years is a form of behavioral problems. There is also a connection between the occurrence of ADHD and the considerable screaming as a screaming child, which has been proven in studies.

Even screaming children have considerable problems regulating themselves down or switching off. They respond extremely sensitively to all kinds of stimuli from their environment, but just as quickly become overwhelmed and take a long time to switch off. Therefore, cry babies should be helped at an early stage, for example by introducing a regular daily routine or visiting a crying clinic.

More information can be found here: The diagnosis of ADHD