Why do young babies cry a lot in the first months of life?
This page belongs to collection of short articles and videos in plain language, called When baby cries a lot in the first few months of life. Together, these articles and videos will give you a brief and simple summary of the Possums 5-domain approach to the crying baby. For comprehensive information on this topic, please consider reading The discontented little baby book.
Many babies cry a lot in the first four months of their life. This is a time when their little brains and bodies are very sensitive.
Babies of this age often get into crying loops once they start crying. A baby in a crying loop can be very difficult to settle. It's as if the dial on their nervous system gets stuck on high! This is why we try to get in early to dial the baby down before a crying loop starts – although that doesn’t always work!
Even though some babies tend to cry a lot in early life, there are still many things we can experiment with, to see if we can make the days and night more manageable and more enjoyable. In my experience over many years, you can often change the amount of crying, if you work through the Possums method. This means trying out changes in the way you approach
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Your baby's gut and health
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Your own mental health and well-being (because having a crying baby is upsetting)
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Your baby's feeds
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Your baby's sleep
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Your baby's sensory motor needs.
This five minute video is an interview with Lisa Wilkinson and Karl Stefanovic on Channel 9's Today show in 2014, who talked with me about some baby myths.
Acknowledgements
I'm grateful to Professor Sophie Havighurst, Ros June, and Caroline Ma at Mindful, The University of Melbourne, for their feedback on the articles and videos in When baby cries a lot in the first few months of life. They helped me keep the language plain and the concepts as accessible as possible, for this brief and simple version of the Possums 5-domain approach to the crying baby.
Recommended resources
The Possums 5-doman approach to helping a baby who cries a lot in the first few months of life
Three things to know about your brain's thinking processes after you've had a baby
What is a self-compassion ninja?
Selected references
Douglas PS. Pre-emptive intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder: theoretical foundations and clinical translation. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience. 2019;13(66):doi.org/10.3389/fnint.2019.00066.
Douglas P, Miller Y, Bucetti A, Hill PS, Creedy D. Preliminary evaluation of a primary care intervention for cry-fuss behaviours in the first three to four months of life ("The Possums Approach"): effects on cry-fuss behaviours and maternal mood. Australian Journal of Primary Health. 2013; 18:332-338.
Douglas P. Diagnosing gastro-oesophageal reflux disease or lactose intolerance in babies who cry alot in the first few months overlooks feeding problems. J Paediatr Child Health. 2013;49(4):e252-e256.
Douglas PS, Hill PS. A neurobiological model for cry-fuss problems in the first three to four months of life. Med Hypotheses. 2013;81:816-822.
Douglas P, Mares R, Hill P. Interdisciplinary perspectives on the management of the unsettled baby: key strategies for improved outcomes. Australian Journal of Primary Health. 2012;18:332-338.
Douglas PS, Hill PS. The crying baby: what approach? Curr Opin Pediatr. 2011;23:523-529.
Douglas P, Hill P. Managing infants who cry excessively in the first few months of life. BMJ. 2011;343:d7772.
Douglas PS, Hill PS, Brodribb W. The unsettled baby: how complexity science helps. Arch Dis Child. 2011;96:793-797.
Douglas P, Hiscock H. The unsettled baby: crying out for an integrated, multidisciplinary, primary care intervention. Med J Aust. 2010;193:533-536.
Douglas PS. Crying Baby. Hecate. 2007;33(2):74-75.
Douglas PS. Excessive crying and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in infants: misalignment of biology and culture. Med Hypotheses. 2005;64:887-898.
