35 years
My 3 month old baby drools a lot, sucks his hands and cries non stop. Could his teeth by growing at such an early stage? In that case, what can I do to relieve him?
Sep 16, 2014
Excessive crying is defined as crying that continues after caregivers have attempted to meet routine needs or crying that continues for longer than usual for a given child.
In the majority of cases, there is no specific underlying medical condition to explain excessive crying. Such crying can be rightfully very stressful for parents, but what usually happens is that children eventually stop crying on their own. Fatigue is a common cause of crying in infants. Between 6 months and 3 years of age, babies cry at night because they are having difficulty going back to sleep after normal night awakenings. This becomes especially difficult if the child is used to falling asleep while being rocked or with a pacifier, so if the pacifier falls out of his/her mouth and he/she cannot put it back in, they cry.
Less than 5% of the time, excessive crying is due to a medical disorder. The most common and fortunately not serious causes of crying include gastroesophageal reflux, colics, hair wrapped around a finger or toe (hair tourniquet), a scratch on the surface of the eye (corneal abrasion), an anal fissure, and a middle ear infection. Colics refer to excessive crying that have no identifiable cause, although some say they result from pockets of gas in the baby’s gut; the onset is around 2 weeks of age with gradual resolution by the age of 3-4 months. Colics occur at least 3 hours a day for more than 3 days a week, usually around sunset, and the cry pitch is higher than usual, with the child inconsolable.
Less commonly, a serious disorder is the cause; these disorders include a blocked intestine caused by intussusception (sliding of one segment of intestine into another, this is more likely after 6 months of age and is typically described as episodes of excessive crying with drawing the legs towards the abdomen, relieved by passing bowel movement which could be currant-jelly red, alternating with periods of calmness) and volvulus (twisting of the intestine), as well as heart failure, meningitis, and head injuries that cause bleeding within the skull. Infants with such severe disorders often have other symptoms (such as vomiting or fever), which alert parents to the presence of a more serious problem. However, sometimes excessive crying is the first sign.
In the event of any warning signs, vomiting, poor feeding, or swelling of the abdomen, a red and/or swollen scrotum, or any unusual behavior (in addition to the crying), prompt evaluation is a must. If children without such signs appear well otherwise, you can try typical measures such as feeding, burping, changing, cuddling, taking him for a car ride or walk, playing with him.
If colics are the reason for crying, you need to pay attention to the following:
1- If you’re breastfeeding, avoid foods that may produce excess gas, like cabbage, cauliflower etc
2- If you’re using the bottle, make sure you do not introduce air while the baby is sucking
3- If cow milk allergy is suspected (blood or mucus in stools), shift to a hypoallergenic milk formula and avoid consuming dairies yourself
4- Try anti colic milk formula as well
5- Gripe water, and fennel tea (30 mL once daily), may prove helpful
6- Rubbing your baby’s tummy after proper burping
If reflux is suspected, anti reflux milk formula is recommended, or making milk in rice water.
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