Ways to Soothe a Crying Baby

Babies are the extremely unpredictable. Till they start speaking, you find it difficult to understand why they are laughing and why they are crying. The only person who can understand a baby fully is his mommy. Still, they are times when even a mother is not able to pinpoint exactly why the baby is crying. What to do in such cases? The answer is, try to divert the mind of the baby with something else, like a toy, change of surroundings, some noise, and so on. In the following lines, we have provided a numbers of ways to soothe a crying baby.

How to Soothe a Crying Baby

Babies are so small and vulnerable that it is very natural that they feel insecure every now and then. Taking a crying baby in your arms will make him feel safe and secure. Infact, whatever is the reason for the crying of a baby, taking him in your arms has all the chances of pacifying him.
Breastfeeding is a very special time for the baby, when he feels the closest to his mother. Nursing a baby can help calm down your baby when he is hungry, as well as otherwise.
In case you cannot breastfeed your baby at the moment, give him something else to suck on. Things like bottle nipple, pacifier, his own fingers, teething toy, etc help pacify a baby.
Babies love rhythmic motions such as rocking, swinging, swaying, jiggling, etc. It also helps take their mind away from whatever has been bothering them. So, the next time your baby starts crying for no plausible reason, try rocking or swaying him lightly.
Provide some continuous and uniform noise. It will help distract him from crying. It may be any static sound, like that of heartbeat, rain, vacuum cleaner, mixer, and so on.
Light, soothing music works very good for pacifying crying babies. Why do you think mothers have been singing lullabies since ages? You can hum any lullaby or even a soothing music number for him. Another alternative is to keep lullaby CDs or CDs with soft songs with you at all times.
Physical contact is one of the best ways to soothe a baby and massage is one of the ways through which you can maintain physical contact with your baby. Gently massage his body with baby oil and stroke him lightly. You can also try a rhythmic pat on his back or bottom.
Take your baby outside. It might be possible that he is tired of the same surroundings. Bringing him outdoors will change the scenery as well as make him breathe some fresh air.
If you have just finished feeding your baby, try burping him. It might be possible that the baby is not able to burp properly and is crying because of that only.

How to Cite

Related Articles

See also

More in 'Parenting & Family'