If you’re a new parent, then it’s likely that you’re having some trouble with soothing your baby. This is perfectly natural, and so is the healthy dose of frustration you may feel when your baby is crying and you just don’t know how to make it better. The first thing you should do is to make sure that your baby’s basic needs are met, and after that, you should try a variety of techniques to get your baby to feel comfortable and happy in no time.
- Figuring Out What Your Baby Wants
Make sure your baby’s basic needs are met. The first thing you should do is to make sure your baby isn’t hungry or tired. Babies run on about a 3 hour cycle. Eating about every 3 hours and sleeping about every 3 hours. Before you do anything else check the clock and determine if it has been about 3 hours since the last time they started eating or started sleeping. If baby needs to eat more often than this then they are probably not getting enough to eat at each feeding. If they are constantly “snacking” instead of eating full meals they won’t sleep as long. If they are acting full try burping them mid feed and then offering more. Newborns eat and sleep, eat and sleep, eat and sleep. Less than 2 hours of sleep each cycle isn’t healthy.
- If baby isn’t hungry or tired then check her diaper. If baby is still crying then she is hurting. This can range from mild discomfort, or feeling lonely, to severe pain. Often you will not be able to tell by the severity of the screams. Start checking for any thing that would cause them to be uncomfortable.