CRYING CHILD OLDER THAN 3 MONTHS OLD (IRRITABILITY, FUSSINESS)

Symptom Definition

Excessive crying, irritability or fussiness.
Child is too young to tell us or show us the cause for his crying.
Crying from an illness or physical symptom should be triaged using that topic.

Causes

Not caused by hunger, since by this age parents can recognize hunger
Main cause: coming down with an illness.

Other common causes: overtired, stressed, whining, tantrums, or separation anxiety. This guideline detects many infants with sleep problems.
Painful causes include earache, blocked nose from cold, sore throat, mouth ulcers, raw diaper rash, meatal ulcer on tip of penis, constipation. Teething generally doesn't cause crying.

See More Appropriate Topic (instead of this one) If

FEVER or any symptom of illness, see that topic.
Crying from an injury, see specific INJURY topic.

^Back to Top

WHEN TO CALL YOUR DOCTOR FOR CRYING CHILD OLDER THAN 3 MONTHS OLD

Call 911 Now (your child may need an ambulance)

Not moving or very weak

Call Your Doctor Now (night or day) If

Your child looks or acts very sick.
Stiff neck or bulging soft spot.
Possible injury (especially head or bone injury).
Very irritable, screaming child for more than 1 hour.
You are afraid you or someone might hurt or shake your baby.
Your child cannot be comforted after trying for more than 2 hours.
Crying interferes with sleeping for more than 2 hours.

Call Your Doctor Within 24 Hours (between 9am and 4pm) If

You think your child needs to be seen.
Pain (eg. earache) suspected as cause of crying

Call Your Doctor During Weekday Office Hours If

You have other questions or concerns.
Mild, off-and-on fussiness (acts normal when not crying) continues for more than 2 days.

Parent Care at Home If

Mild fussiness present less than 2 days and you don't think your child needs to be seen.

^Back to Top

HOME CARE ADVICE FOR MILD, CONSOLABLE CRYING

Reassurance: Most infants/toddlers become somewhat irritable and fussy when sick or overtired. Crying tells us your child is not feeling well. If the crying responds to comforting, it's probably not serious.
Comforting: Try to comfort your child by holding, rocking, massage, etc.
Sleep: If your child is tired, put him to bed. If he needs to be held, hold him quietly in a horizontal position or lie next to him. Some overtired infants need to cry themselves to sleep.
Undress your Child: Sometimes part of the clothing is too tight or uncomfortable. Also check the skin for redness or swelling (e.g., insect bite).
Expected Course: Most fussiness with illnesses resolves when the illness does. Most fussiness due to stress or change (e.g., new day care) lasts less than 1 week.
Call Your Doctor If:
Constant crying lasts for more than 2 hours
Intermittent crying lasts more than 2 days
Your child becomes worse or develops any of the "Call Your Doctor" symptoms

And remember, contact your doctor if your child becomes worse or develops any of the "Call Your Doctor" symptoms.

^Back to Top

REFERENCES

Corwin MJ, Lester BM, Golub HL. The infant cry: What can it tell us? Curr Probl Pediatr. 1996;26:325-334.
Poole SR. The infant with acute, unexplained, excessive crying. Pediatrics. 1991; 88:450-455.

Disclaimer: This information is not intended be a substitute for professional medical advice. It is provided for educational purposes only. You assume full responsibility for how you choose to use this information.

See Other Topics:

Fever

View Anatomic Index of Topics