Children Crying At Night: Reasons & Solutions

What’s Your Child Telling You When He/She Wakes Up Wailing at Night?

1. Routine Crying

Usually attributed to disruptions in your child’s normal schedule.
It may be time for your child to eat/sleep, or your child may be overstimulated.

Children expressing excessive crying

What Helps :

Try hugging/walking with your child, which provides motion and body contact.
White-noise (sounds that mask other sounds that might occur naturally in an environment) such as a fan in the room may help.

Comforting your crying child

2. Sheer Hunger

Children may cry at night due to hunger.

What Helps:

Give your child a light snack (eg: a cup of warm milk) before putting him/her to bed.

3. Hunger-Gas-Crying Cycle

If a child is eating or drinking too fast, he/she might gulp excessive air, thus trapping gas in the stomach.

What Helps:

Give a light snack in between meals before he/she becomes very hungry.

4. Sensitive or Delicate Tummy

Persistent crying unrelated to hunger, sleep, or general discomfort may be attributed to digestion issues due to milk intoleranceⁱ.

What Helps:

Consult your doctor to determine if your child might have milk intolerance. A change of formula with easy to digest protein (partially hydrolyzed proteins) and is lower in lactose may help. Enfagrow A+ Gentlease with 360° DHA PLUS is designed for children with delicate tummies and provides balanced nutrition.

Learn More About Enfagrow A+ Gentlease

5. Nightmares

Nightmares terrors may be more likely to occur if a child is sick or sleep-deprived.

What Helps:

Soothe your child by talking to him/her and reassure him/her that nightmares were not real.

6. Other Discomforts

A room that's grown too hot/cold.
Sickness.

What Helps:

If you have tried all tips above and your child’s condition is not improving, talk to your doctor.
If you suspect sickness, check his/her temperature; a rectal temperature over 38°C warrants a visit to the nearest clinic as soon as possible.