10 Tips to Soothe a Crying Baby

wtf is this? common sense! both my sons were colic sufferers..if you've gone thru that, and survived..you're a strong human being. My ex-wife and i used to do shifts during the night, sometimes would last 3-4 hrs at a time on bad nights..was fine as long as you walked them around up against you chest and shoulder and keep patting them on the back..but as soon as you put him down..he'd lose it. But it was worth it my kids have turned out better than i could ever imagine.

I did not see a mention about a massage. This is very sad
not because I'm a massage therapist, but the baby suffers
in pain. It has been proven we all benefit from touch with
a purpose. We are born in stress, the abdominal muscles
trigger pain. What can we do but cry, Cry,CRY. My youngest
client was 2 months old. She was born with hiccups had
them inside her mom. It took less than 5 minutes to stop
the muscle from triggering. That was 2 years and one month
ago, still no hiccups! If we know the truth of why we have
pain, 95 % is when our muscles are triggering from stress over load,
half the battle to getting better is done. Rebuttals and comments
welcome.

Most of this IS common sense, but I have to point out that sometimes you need more than a swaddle. If you read the book "Happiest Baby on the Block", they talk about the 5 S's and believe me, they work. Between that and LOTS of patience, anyone can survive the most colicky times.

One caution: Colic

A child with this condition can not be consoled. Maybe someone else has said this, however it bears repeating.

I once did 101 bottles of beer on the wall, twice, with a screaming child in my arms.

It did not stop her. Having said that, she is now in college. I survived, she survived, and the married did not. All for the better.

For all 3 of my babies, swaddling was the key. However, each baby had a different way they liked it. Number one liked it a little on the looser side, but the other two liked it as tight as I could wrap them. None of my kids responded well to lots of movement or bouncing or noise. They all liked a gentle shushing noise while swaddled and slow rocking back and forth either in a rocking chair or if i was standing, from side to side. It worked like a charm! Hoping it works when baby 4 comes!

It is interesting that no matter how much reading you do, being in the moment is totally different! Of course, : ), I smile as I read through the very nice ideas of what to do when you're baby is crying, but sometimes the baby just wants to cry - perhaps you intuitively know this and your body tells you, "it is okay for her/him to cry," don't reach for the pacifier, don't go for a drive, an inner voice may at times say, "she's going to cry," and amazing that this same girl will at age 2.5 + sit at a table and color and be absorbed in this for a long time, operate like an angel in a classroom setting, sit through a children's show like a pro, want to do a craft for an extended period of time, and indepedently, too. For anyone overwhelmed by the crying, there is light at the end of the tunnel, I assure you!

I have one thing to say to settle a baby's stomach. PEPPERMINT TEA. Pass the word on. Works instantly and EVERY TIME.

The method you were taught can be found in the book/dvd called, The Happiest Baby on the Block. By Harvey Korp. His method of the 5 S's have been around for years and I recommend this book/dvd to anyone who is pregnant. (easier to practice BEFORE baby arrives than to try and play catch up when you have a screaming baby you can't soothe) and for anyone with an infant.

All this stuff works till ya get a kid whom literally will NOT stop crying. I've seen babies who will cry for two days or more without stopping. I kid you not. At that rate ya need to leave the kid in a room by themselves to cry it out. Check on kid very often. BTW....yes the kid was fed, changed etc & continued to cry for nothing. (Dr. ruled out medical problems)

Thanks so much! We are expecting our first grandchild in 7 months and I had completely forgotten about rubbing and massage. My son loved his back to be rubbed. I'd scratch (lightly) my finger namils over his back and tummy and it was enough of a distraction to sooth him. He still loves his back to be rubbed. Thanks for the reminder.

I have 5 children and have always thought that too! Could you imagine being picked up and moved around all day? You know it must make their little muscles sore!

You can't overfeed if it is breastmilk. When my baby is fussy we just have him suck on my nipple. My baby wil either feed at my breast or just use the nipple as a pacifier and fall asleep.

This baby sounds like she has reflux disease, which is common in infants. The acting like she is hungry when she shouldn't be, crying......talk to the doctor. Reflux is the answer.

As an RN for 30 years and a mother and grandmother I must say the writer of this piece has much to learn. Yes babies require the human touch, so holding rocking and cuddling is a MUST for all babies. If the baby acts hungary, yes feed the baby, just don't overfeed. too much food in one sitting can cause a wide variety of problems including a distended stomach, trapped gas and vomiting. And over the long haul you will end up with a fat baby. Small frequent meals are good for the digestion, but you must burp that baby after each meal, and some hungry babies require several burpings during a meal. Babies are air swallowers, the trapped air takes the place of food and if you don't burp the the baby then that trapped air will become trapped gas in the intestinal tract, otherwise known as colic. And no matter how much you try that baby will be uncomfortable and cry until it passes that gas. NEVER burp a baby lying down. Air rises, and must follow the path of the digestive tract, so the babies head MUST be upright, and even if that baby falls asleep in your arms as you pat it's back, continue to pat on that back until you hear the burp. There are some simple solutions for the baby with colic. The best is the addition of a bottle of water between meals, it softens stools and helps pass the gas. The other is simethacone drops which does esencially the same thing as the water. Feed your baby, hold and rock him or her a lot and be a happy parent.

At three weeks, yes, feed her if she wants to eat. At three months, no--try a bottle of water instead of milk. Try a pacifier. But most important of all, pick her up and hold her. If you're worried about "spoiling" her, don't let her associate being picked up with crying: Pick her up in exactly the same way when she's not crying.