Babies love to be held and cuddle time is important. Entering this big open world after having spent about nine months in a warm and snuggly place can be quite unnerving for anyone. Holding your baby close and cuddling often will help your baby to feel safe. Sometimes crying is simply a request for attention. Hold your baby and rock back and forth. Sometimes just walking around will create the rhythmic motion needed to soothe your baby. You can also hold your baby’s head against your chest. Hearing your heartbeat can be very soothing to a fussy baby. If you have a baby that requires a lot of cuddling time, you may want to invest in a front carrier or a sling so you can carry your baby with you and still get some things done or at least give your tired arms some time to rest.

This brings me to the next reason your baby may be crying. Sometimes I’m so tired I feel like crying, but I know that I need to go to sleep. Babies haven’t learned this yet. They will fall asleep eventually, but they can feel uncomfortable prior to sleep because they are tired and don’t understand the feeling. If your baby is yawning or relaxing and then suddenly twitching and crying again, she’s probably tired. If she’s twitching, I recommend swaddling. Babies have a tendency to make sudden jerky movements in the beginning.

These movements can wake the baby up repeatedly. Swaddling your baby keeps her from moving around and waking up. I stated earlier that my daughter did not like being swaddled. This did cause a dilemma. I felt as though I was forced to hold her until she was asleep. I would never tell anyone that holding their child is the wrong thing to do, but I will be honest with you: if I had to do it again, I would give her a little more space to fall asleep on her own. She learned to fall asleep in my arms and it was very difficult to change that habit. She did not start falling asleep on her own until she was two years old. I spent a lot of nights on the sofa holding her while she slept on my lap. As much as I still treasure that bonding time we had, I’d caution you to think about what you are doing if you decide to let your baby fall asleep this way all the time.

If you are certain that your baby isn’t tired because she’s looking around and seems very alert, but still seems fussy, take in your environment. Over-stimulated babies are not happy babies. If you try to soothe your baby by talking to her and she turns her head away, she probably needs some downtime. This doesn’t necessarily mean sleep. She might just need to be left alone. If you are in a noisy environment, this can also cause over-stimulation. Remove any unnecessary noises or take your baby to a quieter environment. She might even like a little freedom. If you’ve been holding her, try putting her down in a safe place on her back. This is not a good opportunity for tummy time which might further aggravate her. It’s okay to let her cry for a little bit while she’s winding down. I think the crying affects parents much more than it affects the baby.

Finally, keep in mind that all babies cry. If you have a sense that something more is wrong, you should call your pediatrician. Most babies have a different type of cry for illnesses, but you can’t always count on that. It doesn’t hurt to ask questions. I’d also like to tell you a couple additional things that might help to soothe a crying baby. Softly singing to your tired, crying baby will often help calm her. It doesn’t matter what you sing or if you can sing well. Your baby is familiar with the sound of your voice and it will be comforting. If you are comforting a baby that isn’t tired, try taking her outside. A change in environment and scenery can both distract and calm an excited child. This was a surefire method to calm my nephew when he was a baby. We spent quite a bit of time in the backyard when I was babysitting.

That’s it for now. I hope you’ve enjoyed listening.

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