Calming a crying baby can be difficult. Comforting your baby is sometimes a "trial and error" process.

Experiment with the following ideas. See what works best for you and your baby!

Ask Yourself

Is my baby sick or feverish? Is my baby hungry? Does my baby need to be burped? Does my baby need a dry diaper? Is my baby bored or lonely? Is my baby overstimulated? Is my baby over or under dressed? Is my baby in strong sunlight or a cold draft? Are my baby's hands and feet cold? Is my baby uneasy about his arms and legs being too free to move around? Does he need to be "swaddled" by wrapping him snugly in a blanket with his hands up to his face?

Some ideas you might try...

• Hold your baby close to your heart. The sound of your heartbeat is familiar and calming.
• Move your baby to a new position.
• Dim the lights, turn the TV down or off.
• Rock your baby gently, or try a wind-up swing. (Make sure baby's head is supported.)
• Let your baby suck his or her fingers, a pacifier or try breastfeeding. (Do not put a pacifier on a string and place it around baby's neck or pin it to her clothes)
• Take a warm bath together.
• Distract your baby with an interesting sight such as fish swimming in a tank, a flashlight shining on a wall or a mobile.
• Wrap your baby snugly in a blanket.
• Take your baby for a walk outside or go for a drive in the car.
• Sing softly to your baby.
• Turn on a fan. Soft background noise sometimes helps.
• Lay your baby tummy down across your lap and rub his or her back, or sway your knees from side to side.
• Turn on some quiet music and slow dance together.
• Some babies enjoy having all their clothes off.
• If your baby cries at bath time and is startled by water, wrap him in a diaper or soft blanket before getting him wet. Remove the cover when baby feels more comfortable.
• Don't use food as a first solution to a crying crisis, especially if your baby has eaten recently. More food may add to the problem.
• If crying seems worse at 3 weeks, 6 weeks or 3 months, your baby may be hungry during these growth periods.

When these ideas don't work...

• Try to stay calm. This isn't easy! NEVER SHAKE YOUR BABY! This can damage your baby's brain.
• If you are upset, it's O.K. to put your baby in a crib and take a break for up to 15 minutes.
• If you are still feeling upset after this break, you may need to find another adult to care for your baby while you take a longer break.

Source: Oklahoma State Department of Health

Related Tips

• Crying and your newborn baby
• Babies cry. Some more than others and some louder than others but they all cry
• more

• Colic - Newborn
• Of all the characteristics of a new baby, none may be more upsetting to his or her parents than colic.
• more

• 6 reasons your newborn may cry
• Crying is the only way a baby can tell you what they need.
• more