What Causes Toddlers Crying

Toddlers crying could be caused by many factors. Be it surroundings, emotions, health, medication or pure tantrum and sometimes heredity. Yes it's true...it's in the genes. Toddlers crying comes in a variety of sound ranges too. Some shriek, scream, wail, sob and some sounds like a howl with a yelp at the end followed by banshee like screams. It's an ear piercing performance. Toddlers crying however is normal. Any one would love to have a very calm and serene child  but  that would probably raise a concern too.

Being a parent, we are naturally concerned why our toddlers cry. We can't tell for sure why toddlers cry but most of the time it's a normal issue related primarily to their development. However, persistence crying in between short intervals are best  investigated or referred to your physician. 

SO, WHY DO THEY CRY?
Attention

Sometimes, crying toddlers could only be demanding your attention which could be impossible at times. Fixing a meal, mopping up spilled juice, doing laundries or when you're on the phone to a fellow tortured soul, he will start calling out to you in his unique way. This demand could  easily escalate into a tantrum if there's a newborn sibling for instance. Feelings of threat and insecurity starts to creep into him. Imagine having 3 kids demanding your attention all at  once. I take my hat off to all the strong parents out there. You are head and shoulders above many of us.

Toddlers crying for attention should be soothed and calmed and never yelled at. Picking him up or putting him on a high chair where he could see you would do. Sit him on your lap while on the phone. They get bored easily so be aware that he might cut your talk short . If you have more than 1 child and need to run errands from time to time, it's best to decide on a sitter at Care4hire. They are a specialist on many forms of caring and nursing services. 

Frustrated

I bought some ready to assemble DIY furniture sometime back. I got home all excited and started the assembly but somehow some joints would not just would not fit (I'm sure they gave me the wrong items..I strongly feel so :)). Screams, curses and horror overcame me when it ended up as an abstract sculpture of who knows what instead of a folding chair. Feel like crying? Well, that's how frustrated toddlers get when they can't fit a square into a circle.

Hurting
Toddlers cry when they can't express themselves too. Especially when he's sick.  Since his speech and vocabulary are not fully developed yet, he finds it frustrating when he's unable to express his feelings or intentions to you. Just like us parents get frustrated when we can't sing out that tune of a familiar song.

Help your toddler out. Show him why squares don't fit into circles. Take a wild guess of what he's trying to express. Ask questions. "Does it hurt?" "where does it hurts?" or get a "Yes" or "No" answer. Sooner or later you'll get his drift. By the way, if you can't sing a tune, don't risk it on your toddler. The wailing might get worse. 

Hunger Pangs

For adults, when hunger pangs strikes anything edible in sight will be gone in a blink of an eye. Unfortunately for toddlers there's a tiny problem. All they could see is your knee and it's not appetizing at all. There's nothing edible at his eye level. He might just be hungry but can't express it in words. Click Here for some kids recipe ideas.

Keep some healthy snacks in handy for these moments and in between proper meals. Sliced fresh fruits such as apples and bananas are fine. A little fancy and nutritious...how about yogurt with applesauce or pureed fruit, cut bagels with various soft creams spread, yogurt dip with bananas, string cheese is a big hit. Just beware of choking hazards and allergies. Here are some links to some fine articles on toddlers snacks 

http://www.ucsfchildcarehealth.org/pdfs/healthandsafety/healthysnacksen060604_adr.pdf

http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/toddler_snacks.html   

Separation Anxiety

Often related to babies but some kids are just late bloomers. He might go through it later between 18 months and 2½ years of age. If he don't see you, than you're gone and he goes ballistic. Assure him from time to time that you're around. Progressively train him to be comfortable without seeing you. Talk to him when you're out of his sights. It'll get them off from clinging to your sore legs sooner. They will eventually outgrow this behavior and the worst will overcome it by around 3 years or so. 

Fear of the Dark

Even some adults still do...I do...sometimes. But toddlers don't have the benefit of understanding their surroundings and they can't sooth themselves nor be self-assured. So turn on the lights, draw the curtains...let there be light.

One night I was visiting my sister who has 3 children and we're having a nice conversation while the children were minding their business in the living room. Then a blackout occurs. Before she could say "stay where you are!" the house was filled with crisscrossing wails, shrieks and screams. I can't make out a figure in the darken house except for banshee like screams and shrieks passing  by me from all direction. By the time we lighted some candles, we found them scattered all over the room crying with a bump or two. Always get an emergency light installed in your house to avoid such occurrence and mishaps. It doesn't cost much and is breeze to install.

Here's a very parctical site to start child proofing your house. A wide variety of innovative and simple child proofing designs.

Fear of Potty

Many toddlers fear the dreaded hole in the chair. They'll cling to your hands with their legs carried up reminisence of our primate cousins. It could be fear of falling through that gaping hole or flushing the toilet may have scared him from wanting to sit on the toilet for fear of being sucked in...baby guess. It takes time to potty train him and there are many Training Aids that works. All it takes is perseverance. 

Just plain GRUMPY

When he's tired and sleepy he gets grumpy. When he wakes up, he feels grumpy. Chances are he'll cry on both occasions. Do not disregard his feelings, he is learning how to cope in different situations and need our help to translate it for him. Ensure that he gets enough rest. Rest has very significant influence on a toddlers growth and development rate. A comfortable bedding and room settings are one of the factors for a childs good rest. Get some ideas and samples from a kids specialty bedding and room decor company.

Independence

Yes some like it early. Try showing him how to play with his Magic Beans toys while he's engrossed in it. Some toddlers will not even let you touch it and will show strong insistence of independence by crying. At the end of the day when they can't seem to put it right their way...they'll cry anyway, frustrated. Sometimes it's best to let nature takes it course.

  

Nightmares

If he's crying while he's asleep, chances are he's having a nightmare. Unlike me whose nightmares are triggered by the mortgage bills, toddlers nightmares are mostly a result of mental and physical development. Sometimes it is caused by scary vision seen on TV or simply experiencing bad sensations while asleep. Comfort him. It'll provide a sense of security and calmness until he falls back to sleep. 

Tantrum 

Well this is common and the most dramatic. Shrieks, screams and wails are sometimes accompanied by knee level flying objects. The best thing to do is ignore. Ignore the tantrum that is and not the toddler. Keep him in your sights but avoid being sucked into his ploy. Patience and deaf ears are good traits for a parent at these times. Postive parenting is a modern day parenting skills. Gone are the days of spanking and yelling. A preferred method by parents today as it encourages the understanding of values by communicating rather than fear and punishment.

Headaches and Migraines

Yes they get it too. If he cries often and indicates pain in the head, be cautious. Check for bumps and bruises. Check his medication as well. Some child medication could induce headaches and migraines. Cries accompanied by vomiting are possible signs of severe migraines  which could be caused by medication, stress, environmental or early signs of sinus. Whatever it is, get a physician's advice. Here are some helpful articles on child headaches. 

http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/aches/headache.html

http://www.drgreene.com/azguide/headache 

Crying toddlers comes as a parenting package. It benefits both ways. While we provide nurturing, educational and personality development to him, crying toddlers teaches us patience, to be a better listener, provider and above all, Joy.

Be a positive parent. Happy Parenting.



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