21 Ways to Soothe Your Crying Baby (Now!)
A baby's cry is her first and primary tool to communicate her needs. She is wired to use it when she has a need or is uncomfortable. For the first few months of life, parents are trying to figure out the mystery of the cry -- what does it mean, and what will make it stop?
21 things to try:
- Feed your baby
- Burp her
- Wrap her snuggly like a burrito (leaving her face uncovered)
- Talk soothingly to her
- Play music for her
- Change her position
- Change her diaper
- Check to see if she is too warm or cool
- Hold her
- Put her down
- Put her to bed/sleep
- Offer her a toy (for babies three months and over)
- Take her outside
- Take her away from an overstimulating environment (for some babies, this can be lots of people or noise)
- Get comfortable holding her (some people like to hold a baby laying on her back along their thighs with her head at their knees, so they can make good eye contact)
- Put her down where you can stay close and still touch her
- Calm yourself and relax your breathing (remember, she can't cry forever)
- Think about how you might want people to respond when you are crying (do you like being jiggled, bounced or plugged up when you are crying?)
- Stay close
- Make eye contact
- Use your voice to let her know you are present and that you will stay with her while she cries
Depending on what your baby's day has been like, you can make some guesses about which one of these options to try first.
Take stock of the responses slowly and gently, telling your baby each time what you are going to try next.
Once you have run through the list of obvious things, you may figure out that there's some crying you can't "fix." Sometimes, just relaxing and not trying to do anything can calm things down. Remember that even if she continues crying, she is experiencing your presence and your support.
