Your baby’s crying and crying.  And you can’t figure out why because there are SO MANY possible explanations!

Trying to figure it out is just darn perplexing when you are a new parent. And even when you think you’ve got it figured out, you see another “sign” of some other cause and you start second-guessing your original diagnosis.

Know that you’re not going to nail it each time, but you WILL get better at reading your baby’s crying cues and then playing the elimination game.  And this will make you much, much better equipped to dam the Nile!

We want to help you get better at it all faster, so we’ve spelled it all out for you:

“Is a change in my baby’s normal routine causing the tears?”

A small change in your baby’s routine can cause more stress to him than you might think.  Try catching him back up as soon as possible and don’t allow a disruption to stop you from using our 15-Minute Rule!  The more disrupted the schedule, the more important it is to be get vigilant about using it.

Our 15-Minute Rule post

15-minute-rule

“Does my baby suffer from gas?”

Learn the very specific signs of gassiness in your baby and how to provide him with the relief he needs:

Baby Gas post

Baby-Gas

“Is my baby overtired?”

It may be a little easier to diagnose an overtired baby because you’ll know when your baby’s had little to no sleep leading up to this kind of crying; but its specific cues (in addition to crying) will help you identify it when you’re not totally sure. Read up on it here: 5 Signs Your Baby’s Overtired

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“Is my baby going through a growth spurt?”

Ahh…the major game-changer that is the growth spurt.  You’ll really only know if one occurred when it’s all over and your baby starts sleeping like a rock! But while it’s occurring, it can be hard to recognize.  Get ready to identify the signs of a growth spurt while it’s happening by reading all about them and by marking your calendars.  And also read up on how your whole little family can survive them better!

Growth-Spurts

“Does my baby suffer from colic?”

We hope not…but if so, we want you to be able to identify it specifically.  And then get real help!

Read our Baby Colic post to learn all about colic, its remedies, and why scheduling helps!

Baby-Colic

“Has my baby gotten overstimulated?”

Staring into space? Read up on the overstimulated signs in your baby and how to help him through it.

Overstimulated (1)

“Is my baby hungry?”

When you’re using our schedules, you’ll know the answer to this question every time…so get your baby on track as soon as you can and be consistent!  If you’re starting late, read our post on how to transition your baby as quickly and peacefully as possible.

All-Our-Schedules-Ad-BannerStarting-Late (2)

“Is my baby ill?”

You know your baby best so never, ever hesitate to call your pediatrician if you think your baby might be sick.

Read WebMD: When You Should Call Your Pediatrician

“Has my baby developed a nightly ‘witching hour?'”

This is common for many babies and it doesn’t always occur at night — or for just one hour either!  Luckily, it usually doesn’t occur for a long period of time.  So don’t despair!  Find out if this is what’s causing all the tears and learn how you can salve your baby during his witching hour.

Baby Witching Hour

“Am I committing one of the Napping No-No’s?”

Find out if you’re committing one of our “cardinal sins” of sleep-training and then troubleshoot your baby’s naps!

Read our posts: Napping No-No’s  and  Troubleshooting Baby Naps

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Is something else happening to cause my baby to cry?”

Check out our most frequently asked questions and answers for your baby’s first year!

Read: PPB Baby FAQ’s

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