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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Lifestyle
Julia Banim

Mum claims there are nine different baby cries - and learning meaning is 'life-changing'

Although a newborn baby's cries may sound the same to outsiders, parents will know their little ones have different noises to tell them different things.

But according to mum Anna Shields there are nine different types of cry - and she believes it's vital that mums, dads and other carers know the difference between them.

Taking to TikTok, Anna says getting familiar with these cries will allow you to "know exactly what your newborn needs" and claims understanding them is "life-changing".

Urging her followers to "trust her on this one", Anna says the cries reveal if your baby is hungry, sleepy, teething, uncomfortable, thirsty or in need of company.

Other cries can alert you when your baby has a tummy ache, feels that nothing is going right, or needs to burp.

Anna describes this knowledge as "life-changing" (annashieldss/Tiktok)
Anna has encouraged other parents to get familiar with the different types of cries (annashieldss/Tiktok)

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In a recent TikTok video, Anna explained: "If you have a newborn or are going to have one soon, definitely watch this video. This is for you. [...] Newborns have nine different types of cries based on human reflexes."

As well as posting on TikTok under her username @annashieldss, she also links back to an article from FirstDiscoverers which offers descriptions attached to audio snippets of each of the nine different cries.

According to this article, if a baby needs to burp their cry of "Èh" will be "brief and jerky" as their diaphragm lowers and larynx closes.

Meanwhile, a hungry baby will make a "Neh" sound, as their tongue sticks to their palate.

With a sleepy baby, who make an "Aoh" sound, parents will observe the mouth opening widely, while the tongue will flatten and recede.

When it comes to an uncomfortable baby - who may be too hot, cold, or in a position they don't like - the soft H of the "Héh" sound "is particularly recognisable".

A sleepy baby's mouth will open loudly as they cry (annashieldss/Tiktok)

As per this same article, babies will make a "calm and sad" noise that sounds like "Lelaol".

Teething babies will make the sound "Guèn", which will be accompanied by "increased salivation".

Thirsty babies will make a "Nah" sound while crying, with their tongue peeling away from their palate.

Babies who feel that "nothing is going right" will tense up while making an "Ouin" crying noise

Finally, a baby with a sore tummy will make an "Éérh" sound, which will sound "hoarse, contracted, prolonged."

Anna's have been left impressed by the tip, which will no doubt be very helpful for those looking to soothe very young babies.

One person wrote: "As a newborn nanny, I teach my families these cries. I wish I knew this when my twins were born."

Another said: "Thank you so much for this! I had my baby on Saturday and feel like this is going to help so much!"

Do you have a baby-related story to share? We pay for stories. Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com

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