Comforting A Crying Baby
Comforting a crying baby can be hard if you've tried every trick that you know. So now it's time to learn some new ones! All babies will cry from time to time. Some will cry more than others. A crying baby can be very upsetting for everyone around, especially if you can't figure out what's wrong. If you've done the normal nappy, feed, and tiredness checks, is she too hot, or feeling cold? If you're still drawing a blank, then is your baby ill? Is the baby's crying high pitched or not her usual cry? If so seek medical advice immediately. If your baby isn't ill, there could still be alot of reasons why she may be crying, trying to figure out what those reasons are can be a very frustrating time. Once you know what's wrong, comforting a crying baby will be a breeze! Is she
teething?
Does she have
colic?
If its none of these things then maybe baby's crying is due to her being over stimulated, have you had visitors? Sometimes a baby will cry if they have had a very active day. A newborn baby may be crying because she just isn't used to alot of activity happening around her.
Comforting a crying baby - The good quality tips!
There are a few ways of comforting a crying baby. Some will work better than others. Try putting your baby into a baby sling/carrier and wearing her close to your body, this can have a very calming affect on baby.My son used to love this, but please be very careful when baby is in a sling, watch her head when bending down, and don't have hot drinks too close. Have you ever heard of white noise? White noise is everyday noises, like a washing machine or tumble dryer working, a hoover or hair-dryer. These can all be very good for comforting a crying baby. You can buy cds of white noise, some of these are made to sound like what baby could hear when she was in the womb. To us it's a very muffled sound, but to baby it's extremely comforting. Click here to check out
crying baby, soothing sounds
You can purchase a cd, or download an MP3, and you get a choice of sounds. Try swaddling your baby, swaddling is a way of making your baby feel the slight pressure that she used to feel in the womb. Take a sheet, don't use a blanket to do this as this could overheat your baby, lie the sheet out flat and fold one corner over, this folded corner is where babies head should be, with the fold nestling into her neck. Then wrap your baby in the sheet, tucking the corners beneath her. Make sure that babies head and neck are exposed to prevent her from getting too hot (do not cover baby's face with the sheet) and do not wrap baby too tight.Swaddling is a personal choice, some babies just will not like it! for others it can be very calming and even help them to drift off to sleep. Swaddling should not be used after one month old, as it can restrict mobility and hinder development. Take baby for a drive in the car, the vibration from the car and the sound of the engine can be very good for comforting a crying baby, this can also help with getting baby to sleep. My friend could often be found driving around the village at midnight with baby safely strapped into his car seat. Ten minutes later she would return with baby fast asleep! Buy a vibrating chair!, these chairs can be very comforting to a crying baby, some of them are also musical. Vibrating chairs can be very expensive, but many parents believe they are worth their weight in gold. If you have tried everything and nothing works, then try and enlist the help of friends or family members. Get grandma to pop round and look after baby for an hour while you go shopping or get some well deserved rest. If you start to feel overwhelmed with your crying baby, then put baby safely in her cot, and go out of the room.Never hit or shake your baby, as this can cause serious injury.Sit in another room for 10 minutes and calm down, maybe put on some relaxing music. Sometimes just 10 minutes away from your crying baby can help you to feel better and make you less anxious, if a baby senses your anxiety this can make her worse. If your baby cries alot everyday then talk to your health visitor, she may have some valuable tips, and can also put you in touch with support groups where you can share your feelings with other Mums going through the same thing. Every mother at some stage will ask herself "Why is my baby crying?" but don't tell yourself you are a bad mother! Your baby loves you very much, but just can't control her emotions yet. It can be very frustrating for a baby when she can't tell you how she feels, and remember with each day that passes she is learning how to communicate a little better with the people around her. Her crying is more than likely a phase that will pass. Return from
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