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Crying, excessive (0-6 months)
Crying, excessive (0-6 months)

Crying - excessive (0-6 months)
Definition:
Excessive crying or irritability in infants up to 6 months old is an infant that cries too often or too much.

Alternative Names:
Excessive crying (infants 0-6 months)

Considerations:
Infants normally cry from 1 to 3 hours a day. It is perfectly normal for an infant to cry when he or she wants to communicate hunger, thirst, discomfort, tiredness, or loneliness. It is also normal for a child to have a fussy period in the evening. However, excessive crying may suggest a disorder that requires treatment.
Common Causes:
  • Boredom or loneliness
  • Discomfort such as irritation from a wet or dirty diaper, excessive gas, or feeling cold
  • Hunger or thirst
  • Pain
  • Major illness
  • Medications
  • Minor illness
  • Infection (May be likely if the crying is accompanied by irritability, lethargy, poor appetite, or fever. Consult your baby's health care provider.)
  • Being awakened by normal muscle jerks and twitches that disturb the process of going to sleep
  • Teething
  • Colic in infants
Home Care:

Follow the health care provider's advice for treatment of the cause.

If the infant seems constantly hungry despite short, frequent feedings, consult with a health care provider about the normal growth and feeding times.

If crying is due to boredom or loneliness, touch, hold and talk to the infant more and place the infant within sight. Place baby-safe toys where the child can see them. If due to sleep disturbance, wrap the baby firmly in a blanket before putting him or her to bed.

For excessive crying in infants due to cold, dress the infant warmly or adjust the temperature. Typically, if adults are cold, the baby is cold also.

Always check for possible causes of pain or discomfort in a crying baby. Look for diaper pins that have become loose or loose threads which have become tightly wrapped around fingers or toes. Diaper rashes also can be uncomfortable.
Call your health care provider if:
  • Excessive crying remains unexplained and unresolved for more than one day, despite attempts at home treatment.
  • Excessive crying is accompanied by other symptoms, such as fever.
What to expect at your health care provider's office:
The medical history will be obtained and a physical examination performed.

Medical history questions documenting excessive crying in an infant may include:
  • Is the child teething?
  • Is the child bored, lonely, hungry, thirsty?
  • Does the child seem to have a lot of gas (flatus)?
  • Are the parents nervous or anxious?
  • What other symptoms are also present?
    • Is the child irritable?
    • Is the child hard to arouse?
    • Does the child have a poor appetite?
    • Does the child have a fever?
    • Is the child vomiting?
INTERVENTION:
Counseling and advice will be provided on how to deal with the cause of the crying. For bacterial infections, antibiotics may be prescribed. An assessment of growth and development will be made.

After seeing your health care provider, you may want to add a diagnosis related to excessive crying to your child's personal medical record. You may also want to monitor the child's growth and development.
Review Date: 8/18/2001
Reviewed By: Jonathan Fanaroff, M.D., Department of Pediatrics, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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