Parents have a lot of fears about their kids’ well-being and health when their baby is really young. Parents try to guess exactly what their baby wants and what makes them discomfort. There’s no way to understand babies without using words. But here are 3 main methods that can help babies communicate with adults by experts.
Every parent wants to understand and interpret their own baby’s individual signs. Here are some common rules used to distinguish their needs.
The way they cry
A baby expresses their needs during their first 4 months of life by crying. There’s no way can parents understand whether the baby is crying because of hunger, pain, or something else.
- A calling cry
When the baby has been alone for a long time and after some time they want their parents to pick them up. So, they start to cry continuously for 5-6 seconds and then stop for 20 seconds waiting for the results. If there’s no response from parents, they’ll continue it until they are picked up.
- A cry because of hunger
This cry starts with a calling cry. The cry will continue and become hysterical if the baby wasn’t picked up and fed. You can see your baby rotating their head, making smacking sounds with their mouth.
- A cry because of pain
Your baby will cry monotonously, loudly, and constantly. Sometimes, there will be hysterical bursts to show that the pain increases. Their cry can also be monotonous, but quiet, as they don’t have enough strength to make loud noises if the baby is getting sick.
- A cry because of physiological processes
The discomfort in a child can cause by even gas, urination, or defecation. This is similar to whining and squeaking.
- A cry because of sleepiness
The baby will cry like an offended and smooth whining, followed by yawning when they want to sleep but can’t fall asleep for some reason. The baby will also rub their eyes and ears.
- A cry because of discomfort
This cry is often accompanied by fidgeting and is irritated and intermittent. The baby can also flail and arch and you need to check their diaper or they might want to tell you that they are too cold or too hot in their clothes.
And also, very small babies may cry when they want to change their environment or when they are frustrated or bored.
The sounds they make
According to the Australian pediatrician Priscilla Dunstan’s research about early childhood sounds (up to 3-4 months old) which has done for more than 20 years with thousands of babies of different nationalities thinks that primary reflex sounds are international. She also thinks that after turning 4 months old, babies start to make sounds seeking communication which relate more to physical needs.
Priscilla has opened her own school to teach new parents how to understand their babies. If you can recognize these sounds in time it can prevent an upcoming crying episode.
The ’dictionary’ of the main sounds includes:
’Neh’ – “I’m hungry!” When the baby pushes their tongue up to the roof of their mouth and is triggered by the sucking reflex this sound can be occurred.
’Eh’ – “I’m gonna burp!” The baby make this sound when excess air starts to leave their esophagus and the baby tries to reflexively release it from their mouth.
’Owh’ – “I’m sleepy or tired!” They fold their lips before yawning to tell that the baby is tired. This is the ’sound of tiredness’.
’Heh’ – “I’m feeling uncomfortable!” The baby will move, and jerk their hands and feet because of the unpleasant tactile sensations. ’Heh’ sound can be occurred with these movements, especially when the baby’s mouth is slightly opened.
’Eairh’ – ‘I have gases and pain in my tummy!’ When the baby strains their tummy and exhales while trying to get rid of the pain, the sounds they make get distorted and turn into a moan.
The movements they make
Body language says a lot about a baby’s well-being:
- Arching their back
In order to respond the pain and colic, babies under 2 months old often make this movement. When they are full they arch their back after eating. It is reflux if your baby doing this movement during eating. This can be different if the baby is older than 2 months old, it says that the baby is tired and has a bad mood.
- Rotating their head
This is a calming movement for the baby. The baby uses this movement when they want to sleep or when they’re around unknown people.
- Grabbing their ears
The baby will do this in order to explore their body. If this movement is followed by crying and repeats often consult the doctor.
- Clenching their fists
This is a sign of hunger. You can prevent the crying caused by being hungry if you manage to notice it in time.
- Lifting their legs
The baby is trying to reflexively ease the pain as this is the sign of colic and tummy pain.
- Jerking their arms
The baby has got frightened due to a loud sound, bright light, or sudden awakening can provoke the startle reflex. The baby needs to be comforted in this case.
According to the pediatricians you need to talk with your baby as often as possible, and explain and show them everything in their environment, even if it seems that they don’t understand anything yet. This can be helpful for them to quickly start to communicate with loved ones using individual sounds and gestures, and they’ll also develop better with this. We wish that this article would help you understand each other better.
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