5 Calming Techniques for Fussy Babies
Overwhelmed by Calming a Fussy Baby? Check Out These 5 Calming Techniques for Babies
A baby’s only way to communicate is through crying. Parents trying to learn how calm their fussy baby, might feel their patience is wearing thin and feel frustrated. Fussiness may also be associated with a cranky baby or a colic baby.
Sometimes, we know right away how to help a fussy baby and other times we have to do some detective work. Start by determining the problem, addressing physical needs, eliminating discomfort and using sound. Once we hit the jackpot and calm our fussy baby, we’ll have more confidence when dealing with the next crying episode.
1. Check your baby’s physical needs.
Something as simple as a fever can transform a usually quiet baby into a fussy one. Here’s a quick checklist:
- Is her diaper too wet or dirty? Waiting too long to change a diaper can cause a baby to be very uncomfortable.
- Is your baby hungry? Baby hunger cues can change dramatically during the first two years of life.
- Is your baby overly tired? Calming a fussy baby may be just a sign of over-stimulation or tiredness. Yawning or eye rubbing are signs a baby is tired.
- Could your baby be sick? Sometimes it’s easy to mistaken tiredness for illness. Knowing when to seek medical attention and help your baby with a cold is extremely important.
- Could your baby be teething? Signs and symptoms of teething can induce sickness.
2. Use self soothing techniques.
A baby’s physical environment plays a strong role in one’s ability to calm a fussy baby. Over stimulation such as toys, screens, noises, or crowds can cause a baby to feel irritable or become hyper. Baby swaddling is one of the more common self soothing techniques because it mimics the feeling of being protected and comforted in the womb.
There are many baby swaddling techniques and this article provides a step-by-step guide on how to swaddle a baby. Baby wearing can also provide a lot of comfort.
3. Use Baby Sleep Sounds
If your colicky infant won’t stop crying and nothing seems to help, use baby sleep sounds to give both you and your baby well-deserved rest. White noise mimics the sound of the womb and blocks distracting noises thus calming your fussy baby. The baby shusher is an award-winning sleep device reminding baby of in-utero noise and can comfort your baby. A family member uses the baby shusher all the time with calming their feisty newborn, and it magically works every single time.
4. Do Baby Massage
Massaging your baby creates a close relationship with your infant while also creating a calming environment. There are many baby massage benefits including increased immune system, weight gain, and development of motor skills. Check with your doctor whether the timing is right for a newborn baby massage. Skin to skin contact with baby has also been shown to help regulate emotion. As much as she loved massaging her baby, one mother had to stop because her baby would cry, whine, whimper, and squirm, so be on the lookout for those telling baby cues.
5. Use Aromatherapy for Babies
Baby aromatherapy may help soothe baby colic, anxiety and restlessness in young babies. The big question: Is aromatherapy safe for babies? Check with your doctor to identify which oils are safe to use and avoid harming your baby’s delicate skin and respiratory health. Circulating the room via a baby aromatherapy diffuser can help your baby unwind and relax and can calm a colicky baby.
At the end of the day, you’ll want to tap into your baby’s wisdom and listen to your intuition to help you figure out how to calm your fussy baby. While it may feel time-consuming to try new calming techniques for your baby, ultimately, this method of experimenting will help nurture a close relationship with your baby.