Soothing a crying baby is not always an easy task. If you’re at your wit’s end, this guide is for you. You’ll be amazed at how these tips change your life.
Newborn babies can cry for up to 2 hours a day or more. Sometimes, it seems like ten times that amount, especially if you’ve been up with your infant for hours at a time!
7 Sanity-Saving Tips for Soothing a Crying Baby
While you love your newborn, you may feel like you’re at your wit’s end. You’re only human, after all, and you’re running out of both steam and patience.
Are you going crazy over your infant? Then not to worry, as we’re here to help. Here are nine tips for soothing a crying baby so you can regain your sanity.
1. Give Them a Binky
This is probably the first weapon in your arsenal. When your baby’s crying uncontrollably, your first move is probably to hold them and speak reassuring words to them to try and get them to calm down.
However, if that doesn’t work, then the next step is to get the binky out. Once you stick it into your newborn’s mouth, chances are, they’ll take to suckling it in an instant. When this happens, it’ll stop them from crying and will give them a comforting feeling.
Studies show that binkies can be significant in fighting sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), so there’s that added benefit as well.
2. Try Switching Bottles
You might think baby bottles are all the same, but think again! There are so many designs out there, especially for colicky infants. For example, some bottles have special designs to reduce how much air babies swallow when drinking milk from the bottle.
By switching to one of these bottles, you might see a massive improvement in your infant. This is because they’re getting less gas when they’re feeding.
3. Reassess Your Diet
If you’re not feeding your baby with bottles but instead, your breast milk, then you’ll want to reassess your diet. There may be a slight chance that whatever you’re eating is passing through your breast milk to your baby. They might be allergic or have sensitivities to certain ingredients, such as dairy.
Try starting over with a bland diet to see if that helps. If so, then slowly reintroduce the foods you eat, taking note of whether or not your newborn is still ok. When you hit a point where you get a fussy baby again, then that may be because of a particular food you’ve started eating again.
Sadly, this may mean giving up certain foods, at least for a little bit while you’re breastfeeding.
4. Make Distracting Noises
Babies are easily distracted by things, so this may be a good one to try if they’re crying non-stop.
A white noise machine can provide a soothing and constant sound in the background that your newborn might find pleasing. You can also try playing other recordings of sounds, such as waves on an ocean or heartbeats.
You might have to play around with different sorts of noises before you find one that your baby enjoys.
You never know though, a simple long and loud shushing noise from your mouth into their ears can be just the key! You might be scared that it may damage their ears, but don’t be worried. You need to make a loud enough sound that drowns out their crying, so your infant stops it to pay attention to your noises.
5. Put Your Baby in Front of a Mirror
Again, babies are easily distracted; when they’re crying, that’s all they’re focused on. But if you put them in front of a mirror, it may be a game-changer.
When they catch sight of themselves in the mirror, it may be so startling and distracting that they cease crying altogether. If your infant isn’t so sure about the mirror, then go a step further and put their hand or foot on the mirror too. They’ll be so fascinated with this that they’ll forget about all their troubles and won’t even remember why they were crying in the first place.
6. Swaddle Your Baby
If none of the above tips are working, then try to swaddle your baby. This is where you wrap your infant in a blanket or cloth that makes it, so their arms and legs are held against their body. It’s like a baby burrito!
Swaddling accomplishes a few things. For one, it helps decrease the startle reflex, which can scare them and prevent your newborn from sleeping. It can also stop them from scratching their faces as they’re sleeping.
Overall, swaddling can bring a calming effect over your baby since it feels like they’re back in the womb again. This will enable them to sleep for longer and more peacefully as well. As a result, this can help with colicky infants.
7. Remain Calm
Have you noticed that the more distressed you get, the more your baby cries? This is because they can sense your feelings and become distraught themselves if you’re becoming frazzled.
It may be easier said than done but remain calm, or as quiet as you can be. When you can emanate a Zen demeanor, your baby will pick up on it. This increases the chances of them ceasing their crying and becoming as peaceful as you are.
Also, if you can keep your cool for longer, this will decrease your stress levels as well. This will let you be the best parent you can be, without your nerves being all fried.
Soothing a Crying Baby Will Be Easy With Our Tips
When it comes to soothing a crying baby, you’ll now be a pro. So the next time you feel like ripping your hair out from all the crying, take a deep breath, and remember our tips. When you deploy these tips, you’ll have a much easier time with your newborn.
If you felt like this post on how to soothe an infant has helped you, then make sure you check out our other blog articles. We have even more useful tips for being a parent!