Calm Your Crying Baby

To a first-time parent, there is nothing quite as scary as not being able to calm a crying baby. And I don't mean one that just fusses a little and stops. I mean a baby that cries non-stop for what seems like hours - and often is. My first son was not colicky but he was often inconsolable, so I spent hours carrying him around in a front pack, pushing him around the house in the stroller and even sitting him next to a running clothes dryer. Many nights I was at my wits end, as was my husband. What an ordeal. But there is hope for new parents who feel helpless around their wailing baby.

"Thank you for coming and showing us about not to shake a baby. Thanks to you now I know what can happen to babys when you shake them. When I grow up and become a mother I will never shake a baby. I will do all of the good things that I can do like going away for 10 min. And if the baby is still crying I will try my best to put him or her to sleep." Ashley (6th Grade) 

Click here to download an article published in  Raising AZ Kids in February 2010. Written by Mary Warren, the Never Shake a Baby Arizona Coordinator

Thanks to Casa de los Ninos in Tucson and the New Parent Network website for these great tips to calm a crying baby.

• Softly run your finger around the baby's face to soothe him.
• Slowly feed and burp; change the diaper.
• Offer the baby a pacifier.
• Hold the baby against your chest and walk or rock the baby.
• Swaddle the baby tightly in a soft warm blanket.
• Lay baby, tummy-down, across your lap; gently rub or pat his back.
• Check for signs of illness. If signs are present, call a doctor.
• Take the baby for a ride in a stroller or the car (in a car seat).
• Let anger out in a safe way, listen to music, exercise or do housework.
• Call a friend or relative and talk out your frustration
  or see if they can take care of the baby.
• If nothing else works, wrap the baby in a blanket and place the baby
  on his back in a safe place like a crib, close the door and go to another room.
  Check on the baby every 10 minutes.

"It is great to be reminded and informed of all the options you have and nice to hear that you are not a bad parent if you have to let your baby cry sometimes." --Parent

Go to New Parent Network to sign up for weekly parenting tips.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has a great new online resource for parents. Follow this link to check it out!