Just like us adults, babies have various needs from the very beginning of their life. To get your attention, your child whines or cries. All babies are born with the ability to cry. This is crucial for your baby’s survival: By crying, a baby gains your attention and ensures that you attend to and care…

Crying constitutes a developmental phase in all babies. The duration of fussiness and crying typically follows a pattern in the first 3 months of life for many babies: At 1-2 weeks of age, babies cry for an average of about 2 hours per day. By 6 weeks, most babies experience the peak of crying duration,…

The self-regulation of your baby is one of their first major developmental tasks: They learn to regulate various mood states on their own, such as joy, but also fear or frustration. The rhythm between sleep and wake times as well as hunger and satiety are also new for your child. When they are internally tense…

You may be told that parents can identify their babies needs by the type or tone pitch of the cry. For example, crying would sound differently when your baby is hungry compared to when he or she has pain. Don’t get unsettled. This is a myth! You can tell from the intensity of the crying…

Sometimes babies continue to cry regularly even after their parents have tried everything to calm them down. This is known as “excessive” crying (also known as infantile colic). According to a definition by the American pediatrician Morris Wessel, excessive crying occurs if an otherwise healthy, well-fed baby cries for more than 3 hours a day…

When excessive crying (or infant colic) subsides after the 3rd month of life, it is classified as a normal adjustment phase. It has no disadvantageous effects on the child’s development. However, parents often perceive excessive crying as very burdening for themselves. It can lead to strong exhaustion and feelings of depression and anxiety. This could,…

Below you will find valuable tips on what you can do to help your baby and what you should avoid.