It takes your crying baby's brain about five minutes to register and fully respond to a calming strategy - so try each of the following for five minutes before moving on to the next.
Peace and quiet
If your newborn is fussing and she is in a loud, bright place, take her to a quieter room and draw the curtains. If she has become over-stimulated because there are too many people around her, find somewhere calmer. Cradle her in a sling to shield her from the barrage of sensory input.
Newborns can rarely cope with more than 10 minutes of visual stimulation. Do not surround your baby with piles of toys - limit the stimulation so that she can attend well to one activity without being over-stimulated.
Self-calming
If she is starting to calm herself by sucking on her hands or by bringing them to the midline of her body, don't interupt her. If your baby is not soothing herself at all (which is very common under nine weeks), try swaddling her with her hands near her face.
In this position she will attempt to soothe herself by sucking on her hands. Try not to give her a dummy, pick her up to soother her or feed her as soon as she starts fussing.
Swaddling
Swaddling your newborn has a wonderfully calming effect. Even if you think your newborn does not like to be swaddled, persist: babies who are swaddled are significantly calmer and have longer periods of undisturbed sleep than babies who are not. Most babies like to be swaddled until they are nine to 12 weeks old. Sfter this point, she may push her arms out, but for sleep times continue to swaddle under her arms.
Soothing touch
Touch is a tool that mothers use intuitively with their babies, from a kiss to a hug. If your baby tends to be fussy, try a daily massage. When she's crying, use gentle but firm patting to calm her.
Rocking movements
Calm your baby with rocking motions - a sling is very good for this. Research shows that babies who are carried in a sling are less fussy. For newborns, use a sling that provides good support. She will benefit from a calming influence of deep pressure and rocking motion. For sensitive babies, a good walk in a carrier or sling is calming.
Calming sounds
Talk or sing softly to her: she loves the sound of your voice. Newborns find vacuum cleaners and washing machines calming.
Promotional content
Trusted Help for infant colic
Infacol is the UK's No.1 infant colic remedy, it has been specially formulated to relieve wind, infant colic and griping pain. It is clinically proven to significantly reduce the frequency and severity of crying attacks associated with colic and can be used from birth onwards. Infant colic is a common condition, affecting around 1 in 5 infants in the UK. Although it is not a serious medical condition it is possible to alleviate the distress and discomfort – Particularly with infacol.
For more information on Infacol click here Always read the Label. Contains Simeticone.
|
