Question
Detailed medical condition and consultation purpose: My baby suddenly cries every half hour when sleeping at night, stops crying as soon as he eats milk, and then falls asleep. He cries again after a while. He is normal during the day and very happy. This has been going on for a while. What could this be? Thank you!
Answer
Hello: What to do if a baby has difficulty falling asleep and cries at night? This is a common problem encountered by parents. Parents with this issue report that their babies need to be held, shaken, walked around, or suck on a nipple to fall asleep. As soon as they fall asleep and are placed in bed, they wake up. They need to be held, shaken, or suck on a nipple for a long time until they fall asleep deeply. Such children often cry and fuss at night when they wake up, which is because they have developed bad sleep habits, making holding, shaking, or suckling necessary conditions for falling asleep. At night, a baby with good sleep habits will automatically transition into the next sleep cycle when waking up between sleep cycles, and parents may not even notice it. Babies who have developed the habit of needing parents to hold, shake, or rock to fall asleep will cry and fuss when they wake up at night. Even if they are not hungry, they need to suck on a nipple for a few breaths before they can fall asleep; otherwise, they will cry and fuss endlessly. How can parents cultivate the habit of their babies falling asleep on their own? The method is: Starting from the day, place the baby who is about to fall asleep in the crib. If he cries and fusses, comfort him with words and expressions by the bed. If it doesn’t work, let the baby cry for a while before picking him up to comfort him; if he is put down…