Your Crying Baby

It can be really overwhelming when your baby starts to cry uncontrollably. You scurry about like a headless chicken trying to figure out the best tactic for calming your distressed baby. We know that a baby's main form of communicating to us is through crying. So just imagine that instead of speech, they verbalise discomfort, hunger, annoyance and general distress through their cries. My son for the past couple of days has been quite verbal or vocal leaving my husband and I clutching at straws to come up with new ways of calming him.

I imagine all parents have a checklist that they go through mentally in an effort to quel the situation. Ensuring your child is fed, clean, not feeling too hot or too cold or isn't being overstimulated by being passed from one person to the next is done. The lighting in the room has to be just right and at this point you feel everything has to be in the right place in an effort to thoroughly address the pandimonium in your household. For us once we've gone through the checklist of possible reasons we each take turns in trying to calm our son. We find that most times holding him close to our chest does the trick. You'll find that the warmth of your body helps to steady them. It also reminds them of the warmth and security they had when they were in the womb. Hearing the sound of the mothers heartbeat is also a pleasant reminder to your baby as that was the sound they grew accustomed to hearing.

Babies also seem to like rhythmic movements. Be it rocking from side to side, gently swaying or just about any gentle movement. Funnily enough its been said that they like the sound of a washing machine or hoover / vacuum cleaner or an electric fan as all are rhythmic in nature. It is often referred to as white noise, the noise of these listed appliances. Giving a gentle massage can sometimes do the trick. Rubbing the tummy, head or back is sometimes all that they need. Placing your baby on his tummy in your lap and swaying gently is multifunctional in that not only is there the rhythmic motion, but in the case of a colicky baby they are in the position where they can expel trapped wind.... and oh don't they let it rip. They do give us adults a run for our money.

Some babies find great comfort in sucking something as well. Aside from their bottle or being breastfed if you're absolutely certain they aren't hungry, you can opt to give them their pacifier or a clean finger to chew on. One has to also bear in mind that some are nearing the stage of teething and having just about anything in their mouth will ease the pain of their pegs trying to cut through. There are times when irrespective of what is done they still cry on top of their lungs. In this instance you have to try not to loose your cool or to shake the baby to be quiet. Shaking the baby can be detrimental and is unnecessary. If you find that you have had enough and you have tried everything humanly possible, simply place your child in his cot or crib. Sometimes you find that within a few minutes they fall quiet or they kick the crying gear up a few notches where in that instance taking a quick breather or brisk walk into another room is what you need.

It may seem cruel but sometimes you have no other choice but to let your baby cry. A baby won't cry himself to death but you should at all times closely monitor and be wihtin eyeshot of the cot. I suppose they think that its their right to cry, lets face it who wants to be on their backs for a greater portion of the day and not be able to do as one pleases, quite frankly I would cry too.