Health Library

The Health Library is a collection of health and wellness resources created for learning and accessibility. Select a topic below for related health information or search for a topic in the search bar for more information on other medical conditions.

Crying

  • Crying lets others know when a young child is hungry, wet, tired, too warm, too cold, lonely, or in pain. If your child is crying, try to identify the type of cry. It helps to go through a mental checklist of what might be wrong—but remember that there may be nothing bothering your child—and to make sure your child is...

  • Learn why it's important to prepare for the times when your baby won't stop crying.

  • Learn some tried-and-true ways to comfort a crying baby.

  • Crying is a child's first way of communicating. Parents and caregivers become better over time at identifying their child's cry. Along with crying, a child may not act normally when something is wrong with him or her. Infection, illness, injury or...

  • Do not use unapproved, unproven, or potentially dangerous substances or methods as treatment for your baby who has colic. Gripe water. Varying ingredients are used in blends labeled as gripe water. In some batches, alcohol is a main ingredient....

  • Small children sometimes cry to release tension when they are overtired or overstimulated. This happens when they have been held by a lot of people in a short amount of time or exposed to lots of noise, bright lights, loud voices, or music. You can...

  • Comforting techniques often will calm a crying child if the crying isn't caused by pain. These techniques may help comfort a baby with colic, because colic isn't caused by pain. But if the crying doesn't seem normal or your baby seems sick, call...

  • Babies cry to communicate that they are hungry, wet, tired, too warm, too cold, lonely, or otherwise uncomfortable. When you respond promptly to these cries, you help your baby feel confident and safe. After your baby's need is met, the crying usually stops. The more consistently you respond to your baby when he or she...

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