Why do newborns have no tears when they cry?

Baby is in floods of distress — wriggling, crying, even screaming — their sobs are breaking your heart and… Wait a moment! Why do newborns have no tears when they cry? Of course, pick up your little one and comfort them first. Once that is done, let us come back to this question, which is not quite existential, granted — but rather intriguing all the same, don't you think?

Crocodile tears for baby?

Not a single tear falls from the little being who, without doubt, cries the most in the world! Quite strange, when you think about it. After all, we know that crying is one of the only ways a baby can communicate. They are hungry, need comfort, want to be changed… so they cry! Indeed, newborns very often cry the moment they leave their mother's womb.

So, why do babies have no tears at all?

There is actually a very simple explanation for this. The tear ducts are not yet fully developed at birth. As a result, your baby does not yet produce enough fluid for it to flow and form a tear.

Baby's first real tears will appear at around 3 or 4 weeks of age.

Right, but what are tears actually for?

This salty liquid has a very specific purpose! Produced by the lacrimal glands, tears serve to protect the eye, nourish it, and keep it hydrated.

They also help us express our emotions: intense joy, sadness, pain… What is more, crying is also a way of releasing an excess of stress or emotion.

So it is just as useful for babies as it is for adults sometimes!

More questions about baby?

Now that you know why newborns have no tears when they cry…

You will find all sorts of other questions about our little ones on our blog. And since there is no such thing as a silly question, we cover every topic!

• Newborn tremors
• Newborn periods: what are they?
• Or indeed a newborn's vision