Newborn Babies Cannot Cry Tears

The sound of a newborn's wail is one of the most powerful and immediate forms of communication, instantly signaling hunger, discomfort, or a need for closeness. But for all the volume and urgency in those first few weeks of life, there is a surprising omission: visible tears. While a baby’s eyes might appear moist, the dramatic teardrops we associate with crying are absent. This is a completely normal and expected stage of infant development.

The reason for these "dry" cries is physiological. The lacrimal glands, which are responsible for producing tears, are not yet fully mature at birth. For the first several weeks, they generate just enough basal tears to lubricate, clean, and protect the surface of the eye from the new, dry environment outside the womb. The complex system required to produce the larger volume of emotional or reflex tears that can well up and spill over the eyelid simply hasn't come online yet.

Parents can typically expect to see their baby’s first true teardrops emerge sometime between two weeks and three months of age. The arrival of tears marks a small but significant developmental milestone, indicating that the lacrimal glands and their associated ducts have matured. Until then, a newborn’s powerful, tearless cry remains the primary and most effective tool for getting a caregiver's attention.