I’ve never met a parent who likes hearing their baby or child cry, and I get it because I’m a mum too, and I feel the same! As soon as we hear our little ones crying, our brains tell us to leap into action and comfort them. In these moments though, it’s easy to forget that crying is the universal way babies communicate their feelings and needs. When they’re frustrated, overstimulated or feeling uncomfortable, they cry. When they’re hungry, they cry. And when they’re overtired and desperately want to sleep, they cry.

The babies and children I support one-on-one have often been struggling with sleep for a while. They’ve been stuck in a pattern of broken sleep or incomplete sleep cycles for weeks, months, and sometimes even years, and they’re just plain exhausted, so when we start working on their sleep and routine, the crying that happens is a direct result of their sleep-deprived state. All they want to do is sleep, and when they don’t know how to do that, they cry.

When you’re preparing to support your little one to sleep better, it’s so important to acknowledge that crying will most likely happen and that’s OK. Sometimes you WILL need to intervene. Remember that babies and children cry to communicate needs like hunger, warmth and pain, and feelings like being overstimulated.

But when you know those needs and feelings have been addressed, I encourage you to take a step back and think about what their crying actually means. Do they need your immediate help, or are they just working through the stages of falling to sleep without the sleep aids and associations they’re so used to?

So, when you’re ready to give this a go, how can you tell the difference between those cries?

When a baby or child is crying to communicate an unmet need, or they’re in pain or distress, you’ll usually hear a cry that gets louder and more intense the longer it goes on and doesn’t stop. In this situation, your little one needs you, and you need to intervene.

When you hear fussing or crying that is less intense and escalates but then gets slower and stops before starting again, this can be a good indicator that your little one is frustrated and overtired but trying to let themselves fall asleep. In this situation, think about giving them some space and time to do that rather than intervening immediately.

Over time, with a consistent routine and all the healthy sleep foundations in place, you’ll get better at identifying what your baby or child needs, and they’ll begin getting the sleep they need to thrive. And when this happens, the crying and unsettledness will lessen and eventually drop off.

The information in this Blog Article relates to healthy babies and children with no undiagnosed, untreated medical issues or concerns. If you have any concerns about the health of the baby or child in your care, please see their GP or paediatrician.

For more sensible, straightforward, safe advice and resources on getting your family the sleep you all deserve, explore my website – sleepbysteph.com.au