Q: I have a 10 months old baby girl. I want to know how should I react when she behaves stubborn or cranky? Sometimes, she just keeps on crying for no reason. Also, when she cries she doesn't want me to comfort her, hug her or take her in my arms. I feel very bad. Does she hate me? How should I comfort her? She can't understand words I say. I try to play, distract her, and sing to her, but in vain. Then sometimes I just loose my patience. Also now she developed a new thing, which is banging her head backwards if her demand is not fulfilled. Please advise me on how to handle her – should I shout at her or ignore her while she is crying? If I pay attention to her, she starts creaming and shouting all the more. Please help me with this.

A:Babies always have a reason for crying. By crying they communicate their distress or discomfort. Trying to find out the reason, for each cry is one of the tasks that mothers do. There is absolutely no question of her hating you. Please try and take the advice of other more experienced mothers. Maybe, the baby is too hot or maybe she is not warm enough. Maybe she has colic. Perhaps she needs to be burped. Shouting at her will not help at all. You must observe her keeping some notes about what comes before her upset. If the baby is on foods other than breast milk, check them out. Some babies are sensitive to lactose (all milk products). Talk to the baby’s doctor and ask her for suggestions. If you can, ask the older women in your family for some help.