Calming The Tears

A crying baby can frustrate new parents, especially if they can't get their child to calm down. Tricia O'Brien, Features Editor of American Baby Magazine, has some tips for taming those tears.

When it comes to a crying infant, the first few weeks are always the hardest. "One of the keys is that you will learn what that cry means, but you won't always know," says O'Brien.

Some things offer immediate comfort to your child. O'Brien suggests simply holding your baby. "Physically, it's comforting. You're connecting with the child," says O'Brien. "It's sending... soothing messages to them."

White noise machines or CDs can also help to sooth your baby. They mimic the sounds of the womb. "It just creates those sounds that they were so comfortable feeling when they were in the womb for 9 months," says O'Brien. Some babies find the sound of a fan or a vacuum cleaner calming for similar reasons.

Movement can be very soothing as well. "That's something they were really used to in their mother's uterus," says O'Brien. Try putting your baby in a stroller and going for a walk, or take them for a car ride.

If calming your baby doesn't work, try distracting them with a change of scenery. "They call this the paradoxical effect," says O'Brien. "If you take them outside and they see something new... they get distracted and all of a sudden they stop fussing," says O'Brien. "That's why a lot of doctors say, if you have a colicky baby, take her to the mall. There's lots of distractions there."

Pacifiers can be helpful as well. "One of the main reasons a baby cries in the beginning is because they're hungry and they learn to be soothed when they get food," says O'Brien. "If they're not hungry, even just sucking on a pacifier or the corner of a blanket, a teething toy... may make them feel better."

Remember, don't get too stressed. Babies can sense our emotions. Try to be empathetic. "If you can take a minute to just take a deep breath and calm down and then pick up your baby, that's going to have a much better effect," says O'Brien.

Sometimes, though, crying it's just a call for food or a clean diaper. Some babies suffer from colic. "Generally, their cries will be louder and higher pitched," says O'Brien. Also, look for physical signs that you baby is distressed, like a red face or an arched back.

Colicky babies also tend to cry longer. "There's something called the 'rule of three'," says O'Brien. "They cry for three hours a day, three days a week, maybe over three months."

For more information on soothing your baby, as well as other parenting advice, click here. to visit the American Baby website.

By Erin Petrun