Why is the baby crying in the stroller?

Many parents, even before their child is born, imagine how they will stroll through the park with them in a stroller after birth, how they will enjoy those long walks, and instead their baby cries in the stroller as if they were being put to the knife. What can you do about it? Maybe none of your friends has run into this and you feel like you’re from another planet, but don’t worry, there are lots of babies like that, there just isn’t one around you right now. Just take a look on the internet; discussion forums are full of it. We have some reasons for you why babies cry in a stroller, and a few tips on how to help yourself/them.

Too many sensations

Newborn babies in a stroller usually don’t cry; they sleep almost the whole day and don’t yet react much to surrounding sounds and sensations. But once the six-week postpartum period is over, it can happen that babies start crying in the stroller and you don’t know why, when you’re doing everything the same and nothing has changed. A covered bassinet can help (of course, in a way that fresh air still flows in and it doesn’t overheat in summer) or a diaper over the eyes, which needs to be checked so the baby can breathe comfortably.

The baby is overtired

It has surely happened to more than one parent that they missed the right time to put the child to sleep and instead of falling asleep, the child started crying hysterically, because the hormone cortisol was released into their body, which makes falling asleep harder, and so the child cries, cries, cries until after some time they fall asleep (the hormone is released). In this case, try to focus on sleep times, keep track of the so-called wake windows (the time when the child is awake), so overtiredness doesn’t happen. Watch for the signs of tiredness the child shows (rubbing their eyes, touching their ears, red eyebrows, yawning, etc.), and it’s better to head out for a walk earlier.

They have a full diaper or need to pee/poop

There are babies who don’t notice at all whether their diaper is full or not, and then there are babies who can’t stand a full diaper and make that very clear to you. Babies whose parents practice elimination communication may then cry precisely because they need to pee or poop and don’t want to do it in a diaper. So pack clean diapers in the stroller and, for elimination communication, a potty.

They are cold or hot

With small babies, it can be harder to figure out what to dress them in outside. Everywhere you read that you should dress them in one more layer than yourself, but each of us is different, both adults and children. So it’s important to try to find what suits your little one and check whether they have a cold neck or, on the contrary, are sweaty. If the baby cries for a long time, they may get hot just from the crying, and in this case be careful about them getting chilled afterward.

Fear of small spaces

You’ll probably not even think of this, but if you notice that your child cries in smaller rooms, such as a bathroom or an elevator, it may be a fear of small spaces. In this case, you won’t have any other choice than to switch to carrying in a wrap or a carrier; it’s actually more natural for a child in the first months of life than a stroller. And you can hope that once they’re bigger and you can try a sport stroller, they won’t cry, because a sports stroller is more open, gives a better view, and their attention will be distracted by watching the surroundings.

Separation

You may hear from people around you that if you carry the baby constantly, they will become spoiled and that you should teach them independence from birth. But this goes somewhat against nature. For at least the first three months, the baby should be like one body with the mother, so that they can, so to speak, bake through and learn about the world from their mother’s closeness. The baby may therefore cry in the stroller because of separation, because they need to have you in contact. In this case, the best solution will be to switch to a wrap or carrier and try the stroller later, once the child is ready for it.

How to help yourself/them

If you still don’t know why your baby cries in the stroller, then you can try some of the following tips.

Better take a wrap or carrier outside with you

Maybe your baby doesn’t cry in the stroller on every walk, only sometimes or occasionally. For these cases, you can carry a wrap or carrier with you in the stroller and put the baby in it if needed. The stroller will then serve you perfectly as a shopping bag, or you can comfortably transport a picked-up parcel from the post office with it.

Alternatively, on warmer days you can put the child to sleep in a wrap or carrier and then transfer them to the stroller if they cry right before falling asleep. On colder days, that can be more complicated because of dressing the child.

Put a sleeping baby in the stroller

For many parents, the method of putting the child to sleep at home and then placing them in the stroller already asleep works. You can try whether you’ll be able to move the child from your arms or from the wrap without waking them up.

Add the scent of mom

You can add a used T-shirt or even a nightgown to the stroller, from which the baby will smell mom’s scent. This is suitable if someone other than mom is pushing the stroller, but it’s definitely useful as insurance at any time.

White noise in the stroller

White noise helps the baby filter out surrounding sounds and at the same time acts like a lullaby that induces sleep. It doesn’t work for every baby, but if the baby is used to white noise from the crib, then there’s nothing easier than trying it in the stroller too.

Combine multiple options

It’s possible that the individual tips won’t work, but if you combine them, it will. For example, you can put the baby to sleep at home in a carrier, transfer them already asleep into the stroller, put your T-shirt, which you’ve worn all day, by their head, and turn on white noise. For safety, take a carrier with you, a clean diaper for changing, a blanket in case it’s colder than you expected, and something sweet for yourself to improve your mood.

If your baby is not happy in the stroller for any reason and you no longer know what to do, then stop trying to solve it and accept it as it is right now. You’ll see that you’ll be under less pressure and that sleep will gradually change, so maybe one day the stroller will work. And if not, you’ll surely find new friendships in the babywearing community.