Tips to Help Calm Down Your Baby
Calming a crying baby can become a difficult mission for inexperienced parents. As the minutes tick by and the baby’s cries become louder and louder, the parents’ bewilderment and nervousness grow. To help you overcome this difficulty, here are some techniques to help calm down your baby.
Babies cry for numerous reasons. Perhaps the best way to get to the root of the issue is to learn to recognize the different types of cries in babies. However, this is a skill that mothers and fathers acquire over time. Meanwhile, how can you calm down your baby?
Ways to calm down your baby
Before beginning the list, it is necessary to clarify that not all techniques will have the same effectiveness in all babies since, as you already know, every baby is different. However, you must know how to recognize when your baby is complaining about something serious and when he just needs attention.
If the crying is intense or accompanied by symptoms such as fever or vomiting, it’s important to visit your pediatrician to rule out any health problems.
1. Movement
If you’re holding your baby in your arms, walk around the room and gently move him. The contact and movements will calm him down little by little. If you accompany this technique with soothing whispers, some caressing and gentle patting on the back, he’ll surely calm down quickly.
Recently, there was a video of an American pediatrician who calmed babies by holding them at a 45 degree angle, with one hand on the chest and one on the buttocks. Almost like a magic solution, the upset babies stopped crying instantaneously.
2. Sound
In addition to human contact, babies are very much calmed by the voice of their mother or father. This is due to the more primitive sense of protection that is activated in them by the presence of their parents. Not only is your voice helpful for calming down your baby, but so are certain sounds, such as the engine of a car, music or the noise of a washing machine.
3. Massages
In addition to being an effective technique to alleviate the pains of colic in babies, a gentle massage also makes an excellent alternative to sooth crying. Through this contact, babies relax and get to know their body better. You can add oils or creams to massages to enhance their benefits and increase the feeling of well-being in children.
4. Bath time
As with adults, hot water helps babies release tension and relax their muscles. If we accompany a bath with caresses and a quiet environment, the baby will feel much calmer afterward.
If the crying is intense or is accompanied by symptoms such as fever or vomiting, it’s important to visit your pediatrician to rule out any health problems.
5. Go for a walk
Babies like to explore, look around and breathe in fresh air. Provided that the weather conditions and time of day are appropriate, this option can be a great way to find peace.
Tips for when your baby cries
In addition to the techniques mentioned above, certain guidelines on what to do and what not to do when a baby cries can be considered.
- Parents should remain calm. It isn’t necessary to shake, hit or yell at a baby to calm him down.
- Under no circumstances should you give medications or foods not recommended by the pediatrician to calm him down.
- The breast or bottle shouldn’t be offered as a method of relaxation. While nursing has this effect on children, this bad habit can make them ask for food when they aren’t hungry, and they can gain weight as a consequence.
- It is also not a good idea to take the baby out into the car every time he cries. Again, this could create a habit that wouldn’t be good for the family’s daily life.
Finally, parents should know that crying is the baby’s main form of communication, as is smiling. Therefore, it doesn’t always mean that something is wrong or that they aren’t receiving enough care. The best thing to do is take it easy. After confirming that he’s not hungry, tired or scared, evaluate his health to search for possible symptoms of some ailment.
If you see that everything is fine, any of the methods listed above can be your ally for calming down your baby. Don’t forget that they’ll also allow you to spend beautiful moments of relaxation with your little one so that you can both get to know each other.