develop their early trust - that you will "listen to them". Failure in the early days to be present when called can cause insecurity and ingrained ways of thinking and feeling which extend into their toddler years and even beyond.
   Older babies (pre-talking and sometimes after) will consciously cry to summon someone when they have need of assistance, for example if somewhere they want to go is barred, or they have dropped a toy into an inaccessible place. Until they know how to speak properly they "ask" for help through crying.

Cry Of Pain
   As we adults know, there is a distinct differ-ence between levels of pain and discomfort. There is also a difference between the pain which comes from external as opposed to internal sources. But for a baby it is all one and the same since for many years they have no way of understanding, nor of relieving, either type by themselves. But you will soon learn to discern between the cries of mild discomfort and those of unbearable pain.
   The cry of pain is always very loud, often high pitched, and often a scream. There may also be a sharp intake of breath before each cry and a pulling up of legs or general tensing of the body.
   The sorts of common early childhood ail-ments (other than the major diseases or an injury) which can cause pain for a baby include: indigestion, constipation, headache, sore throat, earache, and teething. The pain arising from each of these and the response your baby gives can vary greatly, due obviously to the severity of the complaint, as well as each child's ability to transcend pain. Some babies are much more sensitive to pain than others. Whilst this may simply be within the normal fluctuations of nature, I often wonder if this may also be connected with the use of painkillers by mothers before and during pregnancy, and during labour and childbirth. In other words, as a result of frequent nervous desensitisation by the mother, the child's nervous system may have become hyper-sensitised.
   Strong internal pains usually elicit a high pitched cry or scream that may also be accompanied by stiffening of the body or spinal flexing. A baby crying in this way is impossible to placate until the cause is found and alleviated. Never neglect a baby who is crying in this way. Until the matter can be resolved you must just comfort and console them as much as possible. Feeding in these circumstances is not usually wise as it may only worsen the situation. If you feel strung out by their distress, hand them over to someone else for a short time

while you get yourself together and try to think clearly. Sometimes a bit of massage, a warm bath, cuddling in bed together, a walk in a sling outdoors, can help tummy pains subside (and your state of mind). If the crying is insistent for more than say an hour, and accompanied by either a fever, rash, tugging on ears, vomiting, or extreme mucus discharge, it would be wise to seek medical attention.
   Here I should counsel against the use of baby analgesics unless they have been professionally prescribed. Far better than merely suppressing the pain, is investigation and management of its causes - both immediately as well as long term.
   If an infant is injured, say from a fall or being bumped by older children in play, there is usually a brief period of shock, and what I call the silent scream. This is when the child takes in a huge breath and hisses out a long silent breath before they are able to take another breath and begin loud, sustained crying. If a child is injured and doesn't cry at all, but goes completely quiet, that is a sign of sustained shock. Whilst this silent cry does indicate shock, it may or may not indicate injury. The child should firstly be checked out all over by you (in a nice warm bath is a good place), then their behaviour closely observed for some time. If their usual temperament and appetite returns, within say an hour, and they can sleep contentedly soon afterwards, they will be fine, but if the crying is unrelenting - despite all your best efforts - a proper medical investigation should be made.
   Whilst I have advised about the need for a medical diagnosis of sustained crying due to suspected internal pain, in my experience most situations are manageable at home with the skills, equipment and knowledge you already have. Through firstly keeping yourself calm and clear, you will be better able to diagnose the likely cause and attend to it yourself.

Cry of Frustration
   Babies can become frustrated for many reasons. Sometimes it has to do with your own management of them (or lack thereof!) and sometimes it has to do with their own inabilities to manifest their desires. Sometimes it is something you can do for them, but sometimes it is not. Frustration is something that does not begin that way but which builds up and up over time. It may just start off as a little grizzle, building into a louder, more irrational cry. It then becomes persistent. It may initially abate when they are consoled but will often begin again if the baby is left alone or the cause of the frustration returns. Unattended frustration