As a parent, it can be extremely disconcerting when you hear the sound of your baby crying. This is especially true if there is no obvious or apparent motivation for this, as we are often told that unless our child is hungry, tired, or in need of a diaper change there is no need for them to cry. This is a fallacy, however, as crying remains an infant child’s primary method of communication and enables them to convey a specific feeling.
So, rather than ignoring these cries or attempting to decipher the message, the key is to focus on learning more about why babies cry and how to soothe them effectively. With this in mind, here are some practical actions that can help to soothe your baby when they are crying for no apparent reason:
1. Snuggle and Swaddle your Baby
You may notice that your child spends a considerable amount of time crying in the first few weeks after their birth. This is because newborn babies are accustomed to the warmth and security provided by the womb, and they often crave this as they adjust to their real world surroundings. This is where swaddling can come into play, as by wrapping your child in a carefully folded blanket and snuggling them you can recreate the sensation of being in the womb. According to the Baby Centre, swaddling can reduce crying by up to 28% and effectively sooth them on a regular basis.
2. Engage in Skin-to-Skin Contact
On a similar note, engaging in skin-to-skin contact is an excellent way of both bonding with and comforting your newborn baby. In terms of the former, the quality of time that you spend with your infant child is crucial. Skin-to-skin contact is such a popular concept among parents, as it can be done during times of sleep and relaxation while it helps you to develop a strong, physical bond with your child.
It is also an excellent method of soothing your child and stopping your baby crying during the first three months of their life, as this helps to replicate the comfort and security that was provided by the womb. This can also be considered as a proactive way of stopping your child from crying, as it helps them to adapt to their new surroundings.
3. Occupy Your Child with a Pacifier
Pacifiers offer another excellent way of soothing a distressed child, especially if they are struggling to sleep or in search of comfort when they are placed into their crib at night. There is also scientific evidence which suggests that sucking on a pacifier can steady an infant’s heart rate, relax their stomach, and even calm flailing limbs. Given that these symptoms can all cause distress to child and disoriented them considerably, a pacifier can have a measurable and positive impact on your baby’s level of comfort.
There is even research which suggests that the use of a pacifier can decrease the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). This is because children that suck on a pacifier are reported to be lighter sleepers, which makes them less susceptible to the dreaded disease. In terms of best practice, parents who do not want their children to become attached to a pacifier can simply allow them to clamp down on a finger.
4. Relax Your Child with Music and Rhythm
From birth, your child will have an instinctive appreciation of music and its variable, underlying rhythms. This provides an excellent foundation on which parents can build on, as they look to use music to soothe their child and identify mediums for them to express their creative urges.
From the perspective of soothing a crying baby, simply singing a lullaby, or rocking your child to the rhythm of a simple melody can be extremely effective measures. The key is to experiment with alternative types of music from birth, prioritising slow and relaxing melodies that have a clearly defined and gentle rhythm. You will quickly be able to identify which melodies help your baby to relax and soothes them into sleep.
5. Soothe Your Child with White Noise
Babies love white noise, and there is a scientific reason to explain this phenomenon. Once again it is connected to the womb, as babies have spent their entire life in this single environment and are accustomed to their surroundings. Given that the womb is known to be deafeningly loud and that life in the real world can be uncomfortably quiet, it therefore stands to reason that infants should be comforted by the volume of white noise.
To use white noise successfully, you will need to play a steady flow of white noise that effectively blocks out other audible sounds. This can then replicate the overwhelming nature of the bodily sounds heard in the womb, providing a soothing and familiar environment that helps your infant make the transition into the real world. You may also need to experiment with different types of white noise to achieve the ideal audio levels, as while appliances can be used there are also specifically created soundtracks that can be purchased and utilised.
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