Babies are notorious for crying and fussing for what came seem to be a mysterious
reason. My daughter cried from seven to ten every night no matter what
I did. And this went on until she was four months old. If you try
learning your babies cries it can get much easier. There may be obvious
reasons and if you can't find a solution quick for hunger, pain,
fatigue, discomfort, too cold, too warm, boredom, over stimulation or
needing to be held. There are ways to cope and soothe a crying baby.
Sometimes your baby will cry...and cry...and cry. Nothing seems to
help. Don't take it personally because your baby isn't crying because
of you.
Learning how to cope with the cries is half the battle. My daughter
cried for three hours a day for months. I was a young mother and
thought that the baby hated me for some reason but of course she
didn't. I tried everything to get her to stop.
Here are some ways to cope through the crying:
Try walking or dancing with your baby. You could try different music to see if the baby prefers one kind to another.
Rock your baby in your arms or in a rocking chair if you have one.
Take your baby for a walk in the stroller.
Bounce your baby up and down lightly in your arms, on your bed or in a bouncy seat.
Take your baby for a car ride. (Make sure your baby is in a car seat and buckled in.)
Put your baby in a swing.
Run your vacuum cleaner, clother dryer, fan or hair dryer.
Offer your baby something to make noise with like a rattle or shaker.
Sing or talk to your baby in a nice soothing voice.
Carry your baby in a sling, close to your body.
Lay your baby tummy-down across your lap and gently rub his back.
Lay your baby across a warm water bottle on your lap or bed.
Make sure you test to see if the water bottle is too hot by placing it
against your forearm.
Gently massage your baby's tummy and legs with with lotion.
Swaddle your baby in a light blanket.
Try feeding and burping your baby one more time, or offer a little warm water to him.
Offer a soother. Hold it gently in your baby's mouth if you have to.
Try breathing slowly and calmly while you are holding your baby. Your baby may realize that you are calm and quiet down.
If none of these things works, have someone else take over for
you or put your baby in his crib close the door and put on the TV or
radio. Take a quick shower to relax and drown out the crying. Make sure
you check on your baby every ten minutes or so.