Newborns do not sleep overnight most of the night.  They wake up a couple of times to feed. This might however be accompanied by frantic crying spells that might causes distress to the parents.  Babies mostly communicate through crying as they cannot speak. Below are some of the things that might cause crying of a child overnight:

  1. Colic

This is stomach discomfort caused by allergies in children. It is mainly common in formula fed babies due to an allergy to the proteins in cow milk. It can also be due to lactose intolerance. Learning this in a child can be sorted out by giving formula milk that is not from cows or even lactose free milk.

  1. Gas in the stomach

When a baby is hungry and they are breastfeeding quickly, they tend to swallow in air together with the milk. The kind of stomach upset observed characteristically comes right after breastfeeding. A baby will immediately start crying incessantly. It is recommended that one breastfeeds a child within the correct feeding interval to avoid their rushed feeding.

  1. A wet diaper

Diapers should preferably be changed during each feeding interval to avoid irritating the child’s skin. Delay in changing the diaper could also cause diaper rash which could also keep the baby awake at night.

  1. Uncomfortable swaddling

As you swaddle your baby during their sleep, do you check to ensure that one of their fingers or toes is not stuck uncomfortably? This might keep them awake and crying during the night due to the discomfort and pain that they are undergoing. Isn’t it sad they can neither speak nor point out the place of affliction?

  1. Feeling too hot or cold

It gets very surprising when adults are hot during the night, have their windows open but let their baby sleep under five duvets. The extremes in temperatures will make the baby irritable and thus the crying all through the night. The cold will also make them uncomfortable.

  1. Illness

When a child is sick, they will definitely cry. This will be indiscriminate on whether it is during the day or during the night. Other indications will guide you into thinking of an illness, for example a fever (Temperature more than 37.2 degrees), convulsions, lethargy or even refusal to feed. Seeking medical attention would be the best thing.

  1. Hunger

Babies will normally feed within an interval of two to three hours. Hunger would easily keep them up at night crying uncontrollably. This would be accompanied by smacking of the lips and sucking on a fist. Keeping the feeding intervals regular will have them sleeping peacefully.

  1. Noise or activity

Are your neighbours holding a party? Are you making loud kitchen sink repairs at night? That is what might be waking up the baby and keeping them crying all through. You might want to consider protecting your child from the noisy environment so as to keep them sleeping all night

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