How to Get a Baby to Stop Crying

A baby's cry can be both frustrating and informative to parents.

How parents interpret and respond to their baby's cries teaches the infant about communication, and consequently has many short- and long-term consequences. Parents should remain calm, try their best to determine why the child is crying and respond accordingly. Parents also should realize that most babies are inconsolable at least some of the time no matter what the parents do. These inconsolable bouts of crying should, however, be infrequent and decrease over time as parents learn about their infants.

Things You'll Need

• Formula, breast-milk, or commercial milk
• Nutritious foods
• Bottles and utensils
• Mobiles, toys, and other items your baby enjoys
• Age-appropriate carrier and car-seat
• Ointments and other medicine
• Teething ring
• Infant thermometer

Instructions

1. 

   Young babies should be fed about every 3 hours.

   Feeding will often calm your baby, and feeding on a regular schedule minimizes hunger cries.

2. 

   Burping releases the air inhaled during feeding.

   Pat your baby gently on the back after feeding to elicit a burp. Loosening the child's clothing prior to feeding may help the child remain comfortable. Many babies experience frequent gas. Placing the baby on his back and moving the legs in a gentle bicycling motion will sometimes release the gas. If the baby continues to have gastrointestinal problems, talk with your pediatrician about medicine or a change in diet.

3. Hold, cuddle, and stroke your baby to help the child calm down and feel secure. Talking and singing softly to your baby also may help. Some children like to stay active. They enjoy looking at mobiles, manipulating rattles and other toys, going on outings to kid-friendly places and gently rocking back and forth. A front carrier or sling exposes the infant to the environment while helping the child feel secure.

4. Swaddling the infant by wrapping the child in a small soft blanket. Infants sometimes get upset when exposed to too much stimulation in a short period. Covering the child may help her calm down and feel secure when overstimulated. A dark room and soft white noise also may help.

5. Put your baby on a regular sleep schedule to minimize crying due to fatigue, and to help you determine when the infant's crying is due to fatigue.

6. 

   Talk and play with your baby while changing her diaper.

   Change a soiled diaper, applying ointment to prevent diaper rash. There also are ointments for heat rash. If your baby is bothered by scratchy fabrics, try changing your detergent or adding a water softener. If your child is teething, try giving your baby a cold, wet washcloth or a chilled teething ring to chew on.

7. 

   Young babies should sleep on their sides.

   Add or remove covers if the baby seems cold or hot. Also try changing the child's position, but never put a baby to sleep on his stomach.

Tips & Warnings

• Eventually you should able to determine why your baby is crying just by listening to the cry. In the meantime, remember that babies calm down faster when their parents remain calm.

• If your baby has a temperature, or cries frequently for no apparent reason and is inconsolable, consult your pediatrician. Never shake your baby.

References

• BabyCenter; Twelve Reasons Babies Cry and How to Soothe Them; Dana Dubinsky; Jan. 2011
• Mayo Clinic; Crying Baby: What to Do When Your Newborn Cries; April 6, 2011
• iVillage.com: 21 Ways to Soothe Your Crying Baby (Now!)
• The Ohio State University Medical Center: Babies Cry a Lot. It's Normal.
• "Bulletin of the Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development"; What is All that Crying About?; Sept. 2007