Today let’s talk about the many ways to soothe a crying baby.
Babies can’t tell you what’s wrong. Their only way to communicate is to cry.
It’s up to you to figure out what’s wrong and fix it. This can be a challenge but using these tips below you can soothe baby and stop their crying.
21 Tips To Soothe A Crying Baby
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Take A Minute To Calm Yourself
When your baby won’t stop crying it’s easy to become overwhelmed but you won’t be able to calm your baby if you yourself aren’t calm.
It is perfectly okay to put baby down and take a minute to collect yourself.
Take a few deep breaths and try again.
Meet All Baby’s Basic Needs
Babies cry to tell us they need something so first check to make sure baby’s basic needs are met.
Baby is usually crying because they are hungry, need to burp, need to be changed, or they’re tired.
Feed, burp and change baby. If the crying continues then baby is likely overtired and needs help falling asleep.
If this is the case read on for more tips.
Check For Irritation From Clothes
If your baby seems to be crying for no reason then the problem may just be less obvious.
Check baby’s clothes for itchy tags. If it’s a new outfit you may not have gotten the plastic piece completely when you took the price tag off.
Check Fingers And Toes
If you have long hair and baby seems to be crying for no reason try checking their fingers or toes.
Hair can get tangled on baby’s fingers and toes and cut off circulation.
I’ve heard of this happening before and it happen to be the reason my daughter was crying once when she was a baby.
Swaddle Baby
If your baby is still a newborn you may be able to calm them by wrapping them in a swaddle.
Swaddling your baby helps create the tight feeling of being in the womb.
These are my favorite swaddle blankets if you’re looking for recommendations.
If you don’t know how to swaddle your baby follow this video here.
Hush
Hushing baby is a trick moms have used to soothe a crying baby for centuries.
While holding baby try quietly saying hussssssssssssssssh. Hold the “shh” as long as you can and then repeat.
Try for a few minutes and if this doesn’t help try the tip below.
Bounce And Sway
Along with a hush sound you may find a gentle bounce and sway motion will calm baby quickly.
Very gently bounce when holding baby while swaying baby in your arms from side to side.
You can try this while cradling baby our holding them upright with their head resting on your chest.
Rock In A Chair Or Glider
Some babies may prefer you hold them while rocking in a rocking chair or glider. The rocking motion should help put them to sleep.
Try The Hamilton Hold
One Doctor discovered a way to hold a baby that seems to work like magic.
See the Hamilton hold here.
Take Baby Outside
Fresh air and a change of scenery is another trick moms have used for years to calm crying babies.
Sing A Lullaby
Some babies are easily relaxed by the sound of their mothers voice. Trying singing a lullaby to calm your baby.
My daughters favorite is Hush Little Baby.
Turn On Some Soothing Music
If your voice doesn’t do the trick then turn on some calming music.
Turn it on low so baby has to stop crying to be able to hear it.
Turn Everything Off
Is the TV on, the lights, the dishwasher, washing machine? Baby may be overwhelmed by all the noise.
Try turning everything off and holding baby in a dark quiet room to soothe them.
Give Gas Drops Or Gripe Water
If you’re unable to get baby to burp by patting them on the back they may be crying because they are very gassy.
You can give you baby gas drops or gripe water to relieve their gas pain.
Give A Bath
Some babies find water to be calming so if baby won’t stop crying try giving them a warm relaxing bath.
Try A Swing
When we first brought our daughter home from the hospital her swing was the only place we could put her down without her crying.
Many babies will fall asleep within minutes of being in their swings.
Give A Pacifier
My husband and I were against pacifiers before our daughter was born. We figured it was just one more thing we’d eventually have to take away so why bother if it wasn’t necessary.
That was until she wouldn’t stop crying. The pacifier worked like magic and we never looked back.
We tried a few but these were her favorite.
Give A Teething Toy
Your baby may be crying because they’re teething. If this is the case they may find relief with a teething toy.
Teething toys work great but I also would give my baby breastmilk or baby food frozen pops I made using baby popsicle molds.
Entertain Baby
If baby has been sitting for a while they may be crying because they’re bored.
Try giving them a new toy, changing their position or location, or try playing with them.
Check If Baby Is Too Hot Or Too Cold
Babies can’t regulate their body temperature like adults can. They may be crying because they’re too hot or too cold.
Check babies hands or feet. If they’re cold they may need an extra layer.
You can check to see if baby is too warm by placing your hand on their bare abdomen. If it feels significantly warmer than your hand then they may be overdressed.
Baby may also be running a fever if they feel hot so be sure to check their temperature with a thermometer and call the doctor if you think baby is sick.
Go For A Drive
My last trick to get a baby to stop crying is putting them in their car seat and going for a drive. It may seem like much but if you ask around you’ll find that many desperate parents resort to this trick when all else fails. Usually it works like a charm.
What tricks have you used to get baby to stop crying? We want to know in the comments below.
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