How to Comfort a Crying Baby

A crying baby could be crying for many reasons, and it sometimes becomes frustrating when you can't get your baby to stop crying. I'm not a parent myself, but I have worked with babies in my daycare enough to know what they like and what they don't like. Here are some tips and techniques that I've found helpful to soothe a crying baby.

A fussy baby could be a hungry baby. Before you try anything else, try to feed the baby a bottle or baby food, if they are at that age. Sometimes, this is just enough to help them calm down.

Does the baby need changed? A wet diaper is probably not the most comfortable thing to wear, and I'm almost positive that a poopy diaper is uncomfortable too. Who would want to sit in a diaper full of poop or pee anyway? Make sure the baby has a dry, clean diaper on.

When feeding, be sure to burp the baby well. You might even want to try burping the baby after each ounce of formula. Fussiness usually is caused by gas, so burping might solve that problem.

Dress the baby in loose fitted clothing. Check elastic bands at the waist, arms and legs to make sure they aren't too tight. Tight clothing will make a baby feel uncomfortable.

Try holding the baby different ways. For example, if cradling doesn't work, you could try to hold him/her over your knee and pat their back, or you could try to sit down and have the baby sit on your lap with their back on your stomach.

When a baby seems to be crying so much that they can't stop, you could try to swaddle them. Get a large blanket and lay it flat on the floor like a diamond. Place the baby on the blanket, with their head on the top corner of the blanket. Bring the bottom corner up over their legs, and then wrap the right corner over the baby, while tucking that corner underneath their body. Then wrap the left corner of the blanket over the baby, so that their arms and legs can't move. Don't wrap the blanket so tight that it hurts them, but just enough that they can't move their arms and legs. This will usually help calm a baby down and put them to sleep.

Avoid sudden movements around the baby; it could scare them and cause them to cry even more.

Try to comfort the baby in different ways until you find the technique that works. Lightly rub or pat their back, or bounce them in your arms while cradling them. Swaying motions and gentle movements will often help calm a crying baby.

Vary the volume and pitch of your voice. Babies will calm down if you use a soft, soothing voice. You could try to sing to them, or just say "shhh" repeatedly until they start to calm down.

Play soothing music, and try a variety of music. Some great ideas that always work in my daycare include "Pooh Corner" and a mixed CD of different lullabies and love songs. You don't have to have a CD full of lullaby songs, but you could mix it up by adding some of your favorite love songs to the CD. Any music that has a nice "elevator music" tone should work, especially at naptimes.

Avoid bright lights if possible. At home, you could try to dim the lights if you have a dimmer, or you could turn the lights off completely and go by the light of a night light in the room. This would probably be a good idea anyway at naptimes and bedtime.

An underlying cause of discomfort and fussiness could be constipation. If your baby hasn't had a BM in a while, it might be building up inside and causing pain. You should ask your doctor about this. I've seen a lot of parents who gave their babies prune juice to help them go.

Another underlying cause of discomfort could be illness, such as an ear infection. Ear infections are so common in infants, and often go unnoticed. Also, check to see if your baby has a fever or any other signs of an illness, such as coughing or diarrhea.