Patient's question:
Detailed medical condition and consultation purpose: Every night around 11 PM to 2 AM, the child always cries non-stop, no matter how much they are comforted. During the day, they are completely normal, loving to play, laugh, and eat. This situation has lasted for about ten days. Experts, what could be the reason for this? How should it be treated?Doctor's answer:
Hello: According to the child's condition, there should be no disease problems. Keep the environment quiet and pay attention to feeding.What should I do if the baby has difficulty falling asleep and cries at night? This is a common issue faced by parents. Parents with this problem report that their babies need to be held, rocked, swayed, walked, or suck on a pacifier to fall asleep. As soon as they are put in bed after just falling asleep, they wake up again and require prolonged holding, rocking, or pacifier sucking until they fall into a deep sleep before being put down. Such children often cry at night when they wake up, as they have developed poor sleep habits, making it necessary for parents to hold, rock, sway, or offer a pacifier for them to fall asleep. At night, a baby with good sleep habits will automatically transition to the next sleep cycle when they wake between sleep cycles, without even being noticed by the parents.
Babies who have developed "sleep association" habits may wake up at night and demand that parents hold, rock, or sway them to fall back asleep. Even if they are not hungry, they will suck on a pacifier for a few moments before falling asleep, or they will cry incessantly otherwise.
How can parents help their babies develop the habit of falling asleep on their own? The method is as follows: Starting from the daytime, place the baby in the crib when they are about to fall asleep. If they cry, comfort them with words and expressions at the bedside. If this is ineffective, let the baby cry for a while before picking them up to comfort them. If they cry again after being put down, let them cry for a longer period before picking them up the second time. Gradually increase the time they are left to cry before picking them up. Persist with this approach for 2–3 days until the baby realizes that even if they cry, their parents won’t pick them up, and they will learn to fall asleep on their own. The same method can be used to break the habit of sucking on a pacifier. Once the habit of falling asleep on one’s own is developed, the baby will sleep well at night.
Nighttime crying may also be caused by