You can become an expert on interpreting your child’s cries. It will take time, experience, patience, and quite a few mistakes, but it will be worth it. With experience, we can develop really accurate intuition when the environment gives clear and immediate feedback (1). I believe this is the case with babies. The following are based on my experience, and things I have read in books, not scientifically tested assertions. I’ve also left space for you to add in your own. Imagine you have put your baby in their cot, they are crying. On the left you have possible actions you could take, in the middle you have what you find or how your baby reacts, and on the right a likely interpretation of the cry.
Parent’s Action | Feedback | Probable need |
Smell, look | Dirty nappy | Discomfort cry |
Feed milk | Baby drinks hungrily and settles | Hunger or thirst |
Feed milk | Baby drinks lightly and settles | Need for comfort |
Go in to comfort | More intense crying | Tired settling cry |
Go in to comfort | Settles | Need for comfort |
Don’t go in | Crying increases in intensity | Need for comfort |
Don’t go in | Crying on and off, and/or decreasing in intensity | Tired settling cry |
Pick up | Burp | Discomfort cry |
You will learn to interpret your baby’s cries probably better than anyone, but some sounds are more likely to indicate certain problems:
Meaning | Sound of cry |
I’m Hungry | Rhythmic and repetitive |
I’m Fed Up | Louder and more prolonged |
I’m in pain | Starts suddenly, persistent and high pitched, punctuated by holding breath |
The information in this second table is from The Sensible Sleep Solution by Sarah Blunden and Angie Willcocks. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it for anyone who is pregnant or has a child under 1.
References
- Kahneman D & Klein G. (2009) Conditions for intuitive expertise: a failure to disagree. American Psychologist. 64(6):515.
- Blunden, S & Willcocks, A. (2012) The Sensible Sleep Solution.