How to calm a baby

New parent? Babysitting an infant for the first time? Here are a few tips to calm and sooth their little hearts.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Patience
• Lavender baby wash
• Diapers, wipes, baby powder, diaper rash ointment
• Soft Blanket
• Rocking Chair
• Milk (breast or formula)
• Soothing, deep tone vocal music

1. 
   not happy

   So, the little bundle of joy is breaking your heart with that gut wrenching cry. So little, so helpless. What are you to do? First thing to check is the most obvious things that cause a baby to cry. Are they hungry? Need to burp? Need changed? Assess when the last time you fed, burped, and changed the baby, and if you need to do any of these try them first.

2. If you fed the baby, but they only burped once, they may need to burp again. Try laying the baby across your legs on their stomach, and gently pat and rub their back. Also try laying the baby over your shoulder and gently patting and rubbing their back.

3. If you haven't changed the baby in a while but they haven't gone, they may have a gas bubble trapped. You can hold the baby against your chest and pat their bottoms. You can try gently bending the babies legs up and down at the knees towards the chest. You can also try laying the baby on their back and moving their hips back and forth to loosen the air.

4. 
   Drying out

   If their bottom is red when you change them, try cleaning it with warm water instead of a baby wipe. Pat dry, and lay the baby on their stomach so their bottom can dry. You can then use diaper rash ointment, or baby powder and put a new diaper on.

5. 

   Sometimes babies cry just because they are uncomfortable, tired, or cranky. Giving the baby a bath with lavender baby wash will often make them very calm and sleepy. Also check if they are too hot or too cold. If they are slightly sweaty feeling, try not bundling them up as much. If their feet, hands, or cheeks feel cold, bundle them up a little more.

6. 

   A rocking chair is great to help put a baby to sleep. You can lay the baby against your chest, or hold them in your arms. Also try humming low soft tunes, or put on some soothing, deep vocal music. Deep, calm voices often sooth babies.

7. 
   Treatment for vertical syndrome

   Lastly, some babies get what my dad and I like to call vertical syndrome or 4 foot syndrome. Simply put, sometimes babies want you to stand up and sway, or walk with them. Although this phenomenon isn't recognized by doctors, it is out there! To test this theory, try walking around, or stand and sway the baby. If they calm down, try to sit down. If they instantly start to get fussy, you have one of these cases! But never fear... Just stand long enough for the baby to fall into a good, solid sleep, and you should be able to sit, or even lay them in a bouncer or crib.

Tips & Warnings

• Babies can sense when you are tense, upset, or worried. Try to calm yourself before you try and calm them!
• NEVER EVER SHAKE A BABY.BABIES ARE FRAGILE, HELPLESS HUMANS. THEY CRY BECAUSE THEY CANNOT FIX THEMSELVES. IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CANNOT HANDLE THE BABY, LAY THEM DOWN GENTLY, CALL SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP, AND CALM YOURSELF DOWN.