What To Do When Baby Won’t Stop Crying
January 21st, 2012
A baby’s continuous crying can make even the most laid back person frazzled. The reason? It’s supposed to! A baby can’t speak yet to tell you that she is hungry, needs a diaper change, or just wants to be held. The only thing she can do is cry. Nature made that sound irritating so it would get a response and the infant’s needs would be met.
In order to get a baby to stop crying, you need to know the reasons why a baby might be crying. Below is a list of circumstances that may be the cause of a baby’s tears. For more details on this list, please see my complete article at http://www.babysittingworld.com/cryingbaby.html .
- Baby is hungry
- Baby is tired
- Baby’s diaper needs to be changed
- Baby has gas/baby needs to burp
- Baby just wants to be held
- Baby is teething
- Baby is over stimulated
- Baby is bored
- Baby is uncomfortable
So once you’ve tried picking the baby up, giving her a bottle, pacifier or teething ring, changing her diaper, and playing with her to no avail, what next? Sometimes just simply picking the baby up isn’t enough, but she may quiet down if you walk around with her and bounce her very gently and maybe even sing quietly or whisper to her. If she is old enough to hold her head up on her own, try holding her facing outward with her back against your chest. Put one arm around her torso and the other through her legs supporting her bottom . Babies are very curious and like to look around.
On the other hand, if baby has had too much stimulation, she may need to be rocked in a room with dim lights and perhaps a white noise machine or fan running on a low setting just for the sound.
Check to see if baby is uncomfortable by touching the back of her neck to see if she is too hot or too cold. Try taking off all of her clothes including her diaper to see if any of them may be too tight or irritating her skin. If baby is still crying and you have experience bathing babies, try a warm bath.
Newborns often like to be swaddled. Being wrapped snugly in a blanket makes them feel secure and may calm them down. On the other hand, some babies hate feeling confined and may need blankets or clothing loosened up.
Try a ride in the car or a walk in the stroller. Most babies love the motion and quiet down shortly after you start moving.
If all else fails and you are feeling overwhelmed or getting extremely irritated, put the baby in her crib and go to another room so you can still hear her faintly through the walls or through a monitor but so you can relax for a moment and regain your composure. If you are a babysitter, you can try calling the parents to see if they have any other suggestions. NEVER shake a baby, no matter how frustrated you feel. Shaking a baby can cause harm or even death.
Once you have regained your composure, you can pick the baby back up and start from the top of the list. By now, baby might be hungry and want that bottle. The most important thing you can do is to stay calm. The baby will eventually stop crying. While there is an exception to just about every rule, I don’t think there has ever been a baby that has cried forever!
Lisa McLellan








