Baby Health Issues That Are Totally Normal (So Stop Worrying)

As parents, baby health issues are at the forefront and we spend an enormous amount of time and energy worrying about our children. We take every precaution we can to prevent them from getting sick and ensure that they develop into healthy, happy adult human beings.

When kids can talk, they can usually tell you what’s wrong. But when they are babies or an infant, you often have no idea how they feel. They might get quiet or cry, but young children exhibit those behaviours for all kinds of reasons. 

In this post, we take a look at some baby health issues that are totally normal. Yes, they can be a little scary when you first encounter them. But they are usually nothing to worry about. And many of them resolve themselves in time. 

Baby Health Issues

Crying For Hours Every Night

We all know that babies cry – it’s what they do to communicate their needs. But is crying for hours and hours at night normal?

The answer is “usually.” It’s perfectly normal for an infant to cry regularly during the night or at set times as their body clock begins to adjust to the day-night cycle. 

Most newborn babies become quite cantankerous during nighttime hours because of their biological needs. At that age, they are still trying to figure out what they want and what various sensations in their bodies mean. It’s entirely normal for crying to persist for the first three months of life, and there’s not a huge amount parents can do other than offer food and soothe. 

If you have a doctor, you can take your baby for regular checkups. Usually, this is for your peace of mind, not to check on the health of the baby. Most postpartum infants are healthy if they cry regularly. 

Mostly, crying at night subsides a little from month three onwards. If it doesn’t, it could be a sign of colic, a strange condition that can affect some young children. Researchers believe that colic is a generalized pain disorder that results from the child’s digestive system adapting to both food and bacteria in the environment. It can take several months for the condition to subside and for the baby to feel at peace most of the time. 

Waking At Night

Waking at night is another common problem that parents encounter while raising a child. The biggest health concern here is actually for the mother, not the baby. Most newborns will sleep more than fourteen hours a day, including during the daytime. However, mothers don’t usually have that option. And so a baby-waking at night can actually damage their health. 

Waking at night is something that comes and goes. Many newborns sleep through the entire night with no issues at all. However, every few weeks or so, they may suddenly wake up and start crying. 

As a parent, this can be a little distressing because you don’t know the cause. Usually, there isn’t a major issue. If your child is in a separate room, they may be frightened of being alone. Or it could be that they are hungry. 

If you notice an older child waking regularly in the night, try to ignore it if you can. Continually going to their room and soothing them can create night-time dependence which doesn’t go away. 

Acne On The Cheeks

Seeing acne develop on your baby’s cheeks can be a little surprising. After all, isn’t it a condition that affects teenagers? And can be very common when it comes to baby health issues.

Baby acne usually appears on the cheeks and the back. It may appear as a red, swollen patch that covers either or both cheeks and looks a different colour from the surrounding skin. 

Treating baby acne is fairly easy and just involves doing common-sense things, like gently cleaning the area and avoiding the use of heavy oils on your child’s skin. 

Baby acne rarely causes active discomfort. And it usually fades away once the child reaches age two or older. 

Refusing To Eat Solid Food

For the first few months of life, babies live off breast milk. And we know from early hunter-gatherer societies that mothers can continue feeding their children in this way until the age of two.

Many toddlers and young children, therefore, get used to taking liquid food and find it hard to make the transition to solids. What’s more, their personalities can play a big role too. Some babies will eat anything, while others have very particular preferences. 

In most cases, being picky about solid food isn’t something to worry about. There’s almost no chance that your baby will starve. However, you may create problems if you try to force food on your children. 

The best approach is simply to make solid food available and palatable. This way, your child will naturally eat it when their body tells them to do so. Hunger is a powerful force and something that will eventually compel your baby to eat.

Usually, you don’t have to worry about deficiencies. However, some babies can “fail to thrive,” which means that they are not taking sufficient calories into their bodies. In extreme cases, they may develop anemia, but this is rare. 

Where possible, make regular food available. And only use milk or baby formula as a last resort if you are trying to transition your child onto solids. 

Constipation

For the first few weeks of your newborn’s life, it seems like you’re doing nothing but changing wet nappies. But after about six months or so, babies’ pooping habits can change. Many go from doing number twos twice a day to once every four days to a week. 

This sudden change in pooping habits can become a concern for some parents. They worry that their child’s intestines are blocked and that it may affect their ability to absorb nutrients.

Constipation, however, isn’t a worrying sign in infants. In fact, most doctors don’t see a problem if your baby only goes to the loo once every seven days. Usually, this isn’t genuine constipation at all, just a slow-down in the way the child’s bowel functions. 

If it’s really constipation, you’ll know about it. Your child will scream while trying to poop because their stools will be hard and round. 

If this happens, then you might want to try increasing the amount of fibre in your child’s diet. They need it just as much as adults do once they get past weaning. 

Excessive Drooling

Young kids drool all the time. It’s what they do. So, again, it’s rarely something you need to worry about as a parent. 

Sometimes, your child will bring up an enormous amount of drool that splatters all over the floor. But again, this doesn’t matter. It’s not the volume that matters, according to researchers, but the child’s overall health. 

Excessive drooling is fine, so long as the child is steadily gaining weight and seems generally happy in themselves. Babies can often bring up so much drool that it covers the floor. But that’s okay. So long as they only bring up a fraction of the food they eat, they should be fine. 

If you notice that your baby has acid reflux or appears to be in pain, that might be a cause for concern. If you notice they have discomfort in their abdominal region, just take them to the doctor’s surgery for a checkup. 

In summary, most baby health issues are of no concern for parents. So long as you get regular checkups from your doctor, you can keep an eye on the health variables that really matter to their long-term wellbeing. If your baby has a temperature over 101 degrees F, consider seeking medical attention. 

*This is a collaborative post surrounding baby health issues