Baby Nephew Won't Stop Crying!
Sometimes when our nieces and nephews
are left in our care, stuff happens. They get sick, they get hurt, and
issues of concern arise. The following are hypothetical questions that
might occur while you are taking care of the kids. Dr. Stephanie's
responses should be read for informational and educational purposes
only. While Dr. Stephanie is a real pediatrician, we strongly urge you
to seek professional medical advice from your health care provider when
a real health concern happens. And in case of emergency, call 911!
My four month old baby nephew won’t stop crying. We’ve tried feeding him, changing his diaper, holding him, soothing him, but he just won’t stop. He’s not running a fever and he has no rash. But what if he’s really sick?
A four month old with continuous crying can be doing so for several reasons. Changing his clothes, diaper,and feeding are great ways to initially sooth a crying child. However, as is the case with your nephew, the above did not help the problem.
If he continues to cry, you need to check for other sources. It is reassuring that he does not have a fever, but you also need to make sure his fever isn’t too low. Illness can be seen with both elevated temperatures and low temperatures. When taking an infant's temperature, a rectal thermometer gives the most accurate results. Anything above 100.4 or below 97 degrees Fahrenheit is considered abnormal at this age.
Since your nephew does not have a fever, his crying maybe caused from an additional source of pain. In a four month old, it is not uncommon for him to have a hair tourniquet. This is when a piece of hair is wrapped tightly around a finger or toe and is causing a great deal of pain. Make sure to check his extremities carefully to see if this is the source. Other hidden pain sources are commonly the eyes. An eyelash, hair or even his finger nails can cause pain and crankiness. Colic (infantile crying for extended periods of time) usually resolves by 3-4 months of age.
If he has never been this way before, than it is not attributed to colic, however if he has, this maybe his normal behavior and unfortunately there is no true treatment for colic. Just give it time and colic resolves, usually by 4 months of age. Signs of concerning illness at that age would be irritability and lethargy, vomiting, change in appetite, and decreased urine output.
If after doing a through check of your nephew, changing his diaper, his clothes, and attempting to feed, you are still unable to console him, please seek immediate help from his physician or a near by hospital.