Calming Your Baby Down

When my boy's were babies I usually was the one that calmed them down.

My husband is an excellent father. He would fly off the handle when Mica or Isaak would not stop crying. I'm talking about the nights where their cries were from teething or an ear infection. They would scream cry.

There are ways to calm a fussy baby down. Not all of them are guaranteed to work for every baby, or every situation. These are tips for a baby that has colic, teething or has an ear infection.

If you ever feel like something is really wrong call the doctor. Many doctor's offices have an on call nurse. Always check if they have a bad fever! That's how we caught our son Isaak's meningitis. If something is really wrong it's best to catch it early!

Here Are a Few Ideas:

1. Sing to them.
2. Rock them.
3. Burp your baby.
4. Change their diaper. 
5. Let them breastfeed. Try and nurse as close to upright as possible. If they are crying because they have an ear infection, you can make it worse by nursing them in the laying down position. Fluid will pool instead of drain.
6. Walk them around.
7. Make a "Shhh" sound in their ear. It reminds them of being in the womb.
8. Vacuum. This has three pluses: It reminds them of being in the womb, you get them used to the vacuum and you get a clean house.
9. Give them a warm bath. Some places have extra calming things you can put in their bath water. Click here for a recipe to make your own special oatmeal soothing solution.
10. Take your baby for a short drive.
11. Try gas drops. Sometimes they get air bubbles in their tummies from all the milk they drink.
12. Give them a massage with baby lotion.
13. Give them skin to skin contact. They love being close to mommy and daddy!
14. If they are ready and able, give them their binki.
15. Get them a baby vibrating chair. These are not that expensive, and are super great. I used mine a lot when I was in taking a shower. I love that they are so portable. I'd stick it right in the doorway.
16. Put them in a baby swing.
17. Have one parent take a steaming hot shower, and the other parent hold the baby in the bathroom. The sound of the shower mixed with the steam is great for relaxing.

If you know of other tips I can add to this list, please comment, and I will add it.

I'm going to throw this out there even though it's pretty obvious: NEVER SHAKE A BABY!