Your baby's teeth will normally start to come through from about six months, so she'll dribble a lot and her gums will occasionally be sore. Your baby may become rather grumbly when she's teething, and it's usually quite obvious if she's uncomfortable, she'll want to chew a lot and may have a hot, red area on her check. However, it isn't a good idea always to blame persistent crying on teething, when in fact your baby may be bored, or even ill. Troubleshooting

There are lots of reasons why an older baby may cry.

She's bored

Your baby may cry from boredom if left alone, unable to hear your voice and with nothing to look at or play with. You are her favorite playmate, so keep her where she can see you and you can talk to her, and don't leave her for long periods alone in her crib if she's crying. Some babies do play happily in their cribs for a while after waking, so leave toys and books with in reach.

She's frustrated

As your baby grows, her desire to do things outstrips her ability to do them, and so she gets frustrated and often starts to cry as a result. She may also cry if you don't let her have something she wants. Change her toys frequently-her attention span is still short. Find time to play with her.

She's afraid

At about six months your baby will cry when she's separated from you, and she'll be nervous of other people, even when she knows them well. Right from the start, get her used to seeing you leave the room and come back in again. This way she'll gradually learn that she can trust you always to return to her. Make sure she meets lots of other people before she reaches this stage and learns that even if you leave her with some one else for a while, you always come back.

She's sick or has hurt herself

If your baby hurts herself, you'll know at once from her cry, but it may be more difficult to tell when she's sick, for what you should do if your baby is ill or has an accident.

Page 2 of 2 :: First | Last :: Prev | 1 2 | Next