How to Calm a Crying Baby
A normal, healthy baby will typically cry for one of the following reasons : hungry, too hot, too cold, wet/dirty nappy ( nappy ) or tired. There are more cries for feeling unwell and teething but these aren’t as prolific in a newly born and are way more easily recognisable with other symptoms. The most typical cry is for feeding, normally a waaah, waaah that increases in volume and distress and can only be quietened by food. It is very easy to confuse this cry with the one for exhaustion or overtiredness and fairly often a mummy will resort to feeding instead of getting the baby to sleep, which only increases you baby’s anguish. If a correct feeding routine has been settled then you can typically tell between the 2 ; also check for stuff like rooting, where the baby curls it’s tongue looking for food – this is a sure sign of hunger. When a baby is tired they will trounce their head and rub their eyes.
Why do babies cry? Your baby is crying to get your interest – this is the only real way that a baby can communicate with you. What you have to do is interpret their cries and you’ll then be halfway to calming their cries.
During the day on which you can try placing your baby next to household objects which make white noise – like a tumbler dryer or washer. White noise is claimed to resemble the body sounds heard in the womb and again, is a comfort for a troubled kid. If your baby cries when you are not near it try this tip ; keep an old towel near you ( or sleep with it ) and then lay it in your child’s cot before placing them on it. The towel will have picked up your smell and will reassure your baby that you are near – this does work, I used it on both of my children.
If your baby is crying for any of these reasons then the cause is just remedied. If they are crying for other reasons, especially teething, then there are more things that you can do which will help calm them. Never get hung up about picking up your crying baby ; often a baby should be comforted, no matter what many ‘experts’ say. If you place them on your shoulder and gently rock forwards and backwards this mimics the feeling that they would’ve had in the womb of their ma walking. A light, regular pat on the back at the same time recalls the sound of their ma’s heart beat. Both of these things will quiet your baby quickly and without much fuss – if you want an additional boost, gently blow on your baby’s neck ; this could calm both of you. Remember, if your baby has awoken, the less impulse they get, the better, so this is the ultimate way of easing them back to sleep.
So when your baby cries the best thing to do is think before reacting. Take a step back and see if you can understand what they are telling you, instead of jumping in with food or a nappy.There Are ways to stop you crying baby before it gets to the crescendo stage. {However ,} all babies are different ; some will cry for no obvious reason and you will not be able to stop them. If you end up becoming tense with a crying child put them down somewhere safe ( like the cot ) and step away from them till you are calmer. Better that you let them cry for a couple of minutes while you regain your cool. And if you are at all sad then seek medical help – this is most critical if your kid doesn’t cry but becomes sleepy and floppy.
Crying is part and parcel of parenthood and all babies differ in the degree of crying and how swiftly they may calm. Never expect miracles or fast solutions ; you have to learn how to communicate with them and work with them.
Tags: babies crying at night, baby wont stop crying, stop baby crying, why babies cry