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Ways to Soothe a Crying Baby
Author: Jacqueline Courtiol
You probably already know that crying is your babys way of communicating with you,
but what do you do when your precious little one starts communicating and
wont stop? Youll have to learn how to interpret or read your
babys various cries in order to respond appropriately. Once youve determined
that your baby is not sick, tired, hungry or in pain, you can use various comforting and soothing
strategies to help Baby calm down.
Some
reasons your baby will cry are: hunger, fatigue, boredom, discomfort, frustration, pain,
illness, loneliness, colic and irritability. As a general rule, make sure Babys
physical needs are taken care of first. In other words, make sure your baby is well-fed,
check his or her diaper, see if he or she needs to burp etc. If youre sure that your
baby doesnt have a physical problem that needs to be met right away, then use one or
more of the following techniques to soothe Baby and calm him or her down:
1. Carrying your baby for several hours throughout the day will very likely decrease
crying overall and will have a very calming influence.
2. Use repetitive rhythmic movements to satisfy Babys needs for security, safety and
predictability. Try a baby swing, rocking chair or dancing while holding baby close.
3. Swaddle the baby in a lightweight blanket to temporarily restore to Baby the snug,
closed in feeling that he or she had while in the womb.
4. Turn on some background noise such as the washing machine or vacuum cleaner or soothing
sounds such as ocean or waterfall sounds. These rhythmic, repetitive sounds can be very
comforting to the baby.
5. Give Baby a pacifier up to six months of age as babies have a strong sucking urge that
is not related to their desire for food.
6. Take your baby for a ride in the car to distract and lull him or her to sleep.
7. Gently pat, stroke or massage your baby. Stroking Babys skin sends messages to
the brain to increase levels of beneficial chemicals and hormones that help Baby to bear
pain and regulate levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.
8. Allowing your baby to cuddle with a soft object can help soothe him or her.
If none of these techniques work, then consider the possibility that your little one may
just need to cry it out until he or she has released all of the pent up feelings inside.
Also consider your own mental and emotional well-being as you dont want to act out
any feelings of tension, resentment, frustration or hostility. Its ok to recognize
when youre close to your breaking point and ask for help! You and your baby will be
glad that you did!
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesBase.com
About the Author:
Jacqueline Courtiol, M.A. Ed. is a teacher, mother and business owner. Jacqueline has
authored numerous articles on topics of childcare, natural health, parenting and
pregnancy. She is also the co-developer of Colic Calm, a natural homeopathic treatment for
gassy babies and colicky babies . More information can be found at
http://www.coliccalm.com or contact us if you have questions.
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