Many parents have experienced their babies getting fussy during evening hours. For any parent it is heartbreaking moment when they find their baby inconsolably cries and becomes fussy. Trying all the ways prove futile to calm down the red faced crying baby. And the worst is he does not stop crying until the sun sets.
Continuous crying in the late hours of evening can make the baby more irritable. At the same time it is necessary for every parent to know that the only mode of communication for babies is crying. The baby cries and becomes fussy when anything is wrong with him. He may be hungry, he may be wet or his clothes may be too tight. Most of the time it is difficult to know the underlying reason for the fussiness; however here are some of the probable reasons which every parent should know.
What Causes Baby To Be Fussy At Night?
- One the main reason is colic. Often pediatricians and parents are unable to detect the cause of colic in babies. Many people associate colic to problems in intestine such as gas formation or indigestion. Such episodes of colic usually occur in the afternoon and in late hours of evening. Almost 20 out of 100 babies suffer from mild or severe colic in abdomen.
- There are several other reasons for the baby to become cranky in evening. The baby may become tired if he does not have required sleep. As a result he becomes exhausted and tired which may make him to cry and become fussy. It is the only mean for him to communicate with his parents about his problems.
- Sometimes the baby may have over stimulated nervous system. It is probably more during the day time. The noise in surrounding, and activities around him may stimulate even though he is not an active participant. Witnessing the surrounding activity can make him fussy and cranky.
- It has been seen that babies need more feeding during evening hours. Sometimes as often as every one hour. If the baby remains hungry during this period he becomes fussy and cranky.
- Even though the baby is not able to walk and talk, he is still able to understand what is going on around. If the baby feels he is getting less attention, or if he feels neglected, the result is more fussiness and crying.
How To Calm A Fussy Baby In The Evening ?
Fortunately most babies outgrow fussiness by the time they are 4 months of age. But till then most parents have to bear with the discomfort. However, there are several home techniques that may help to relieve evening fussiness in babies.
- Hold the baby in arms or gently rock or bounce him. Most babies like to be close to their parent. This one action is helpful to calm down their nervous system.
- Pay more attention to the baby. Spend some time with the baby. Touch and talk with him. Babies feel secured when touched. It plays an important role in alleviating evening fussiness.
- Burping after every feed is very important to prevent gas and discomfort in abdomen of baby. If you suspect gas to be the culprit, burp him after each feeding.
- Sometimes the diet of breast feeding mother may be responsible for irritability and tummy troubles in babies. Especially if the diet of mother consists of too much spicy food, caffeinated drinks etc. Avoid eating such food while you are breastfeeding.
- Put him is swing if the baby always cries and becomes fussy. Motion makes him calm.
- Playing soothing music, especially classical music can calm him down.
- If you are busy in your household chores and the baby is around, reduce your activities. Less movement around the child will be more comforting. He will be less stimulated and thus become less fussy and cranky.