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The language of babies and toddlers is crying
I don’t mean to exclude fathers as many fathers are also sensitive to the specific sounds their children “speak” with their unique language. However in the very early years, mothers, tend to have a bit of an edge when they breast feed because they have to tune in to the hungry crying language of their baby and there is usually a close bond between mother and baby.
Some babies are quite vocal and do a lot of "talking". Some are more observers. But all babies use crying and as parents, you should be prepared for it. There is a fortunate quirk that nature has provided for babies and parents in that many parents find that their own babies sounds are quite tolerable to them. A baby not their own who cries incessantly can drive them up the wall. If you are a parent who does not tolerate noise very well, this may be a good time to share parenting tasks. He who can more easily handle noise should be the one to bear the brunt of it. A single parent might need to seek out a friendly crying-noise-tolerant helper for the most difficult times.
For all concerned a big supply of EARPULGS could be a wonderful expenditure! There are disposable earplugs that allow you to still hear but they take the shrill edges off.
If soothing is what is require, a rocking chair can be helpful. A hammock type swing can soothe ruffled feathers. A “soother” can calm and soothe. Music of a non-erratic nature can soothe and calm.
Other needs to check are hunger, wet or poopy diaper, pain of some kind, boredom, loneliness---at times maybe just a hug will relieve you baby's anguish. Digestion-colic—is a force to be reckoned with. Some babies do well with a change of diet—goat milk rather than cow. --or the ever welcome dill water sometimes brings relief.
If you are a person who suffers from rage, please seek out help. This is a serious condition and one which cannot be ignored. Remind yourself that a baby’s cries are communication—not just a way to annoy you personally. Call a help hotline. Call a crisis intervention line. Ask for help from a grandparent or friend. One way or another, get help.
A new baby will cry. It would be so very helpful if the baby had words and could communicate their feelings but they can’t. In recent years there has been much ado about teaching infants and young children sign language. This then, is a way to give your baby the gift of being able to express him or herself. Although it isn’t in the scope of this website, I fully advocate it’s use and there are numerous places where you can find instructions in this area of interest.
Don’t be daunted by the thought of learning an entire new language because this is one language where even a rudimentary understanding and knowledge of, can be helpful and enriching. I worked with deaf and blind children at one point in my career in Hawaii. There is a never ending debate on what teaching is best for deaf children. In almost all cases, I would personally opt for a full spectrum of exposure from sounds to lip reading to sign language for deaf children as would I opt for a full exposure for hearing children as well. Touch, empathy, a friendly helping hand—all these can be defined as communication as well. The more exposure your baby has, the better your understanding will be and the more content the family unit will be as your baby grows and thrives.
In summary, understand that crying for a baby and toddler is normal, is to be expected and is communication. Your aim is to help your child learn to express himself with words and actions but it is a developmental process and doesn’t happen overnight. You need to respond to your baby’s cry’s but if you have a loud and persistent cry-er, you can curb the shrillness with a set of ear-plugs, or by using the hand-off method : hand the baby to a capable ‘other’!
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