Why Babies Wake Up Crying

Many parents often wonder why their baby wakes up from sleep crying. Babies can typically wake up crying when they are hungry, because they are wet or dirty, or to have their sleep association recreated (such as replacing a pacifier), but this article is to discuss what it possibly means when your baby wakes up crying from a nap or in the morning when it seems like they are "done sleeping."
Current information and research indicates that there does not seem to be any definitive reason as to why babies cry when they wake up, but we do know it is normal for them to cry between sleep cycles. In the majority of cases, when a baby wakes up crying, it means he is not done sleeping. Sometimes a baby may have awakened in between sleep cycles and had trouble getting back to sleep for the next sleep cycle. Some babies have a much easier time going into the next sleep cycle and may just whimper a bit between sleep cycles.
Often, it is best if you not to run in at the slightest whimper because crying is normal and expected between sleep cycles. Babies might not cry every sleep cycle but there are some who do. You do not need to let your baby "cry-it-out", but for most parents any amount of crying feels a lot longer than it is. Many parents inadvertently find out that their baby just needed some time to resettle themselves when they cannot get to baby right away and when they do enter baby's room after a minute or two of crying, they find that baby has gone back to sleep. This is a prime indication that had the parent entered the room any earlier then they would have disturbed their baby's nap or sleep cycle.
Allow yourself the time to get to know and understand your baby's sleep cycles, sleep schedule and waking patterns. There are some babies who will wake up crying as part of their normal wake up routine and for others you will need to determine if your baby is simply resettling back into another sleep cycle. Until you have worked towards nap or sleep training with your baby as a way to help your baby learn to sleep through the night, try giving baby three to five minutes to resettle back to sleep without your help. Not only does this help baby to get the amount of sleep he needs but it can help him learn how to fall back asleep without creating a sleep association habit.