Ways to calm the baby

Each baby has a different temperament and cries for different reasons. If she is given a dummy whenever she cries, other needs are hidden – the need to be carried or the need for touch, attention, quiet, variety, conversation or a clean nappy.

The following can be helpful:

• Talk quietly and sing.
• Play harmonious music.
• Provide tangible boundaries e.g. by swaddling in a blanket or surrounding her with a nest of cushions.
• Offer variety e.g. bathing and moving back and forth in the water, watching mobiles, talking.
• Satisfy the need for skin and body contact (sleep and bath together or try baby massage).
• Carry the baby. Studies have shown that babies cry less if they are carried or worn in a sling or carrier for longer periods. Just three hours a day reduces crying by 45%.
• Stay calm, consciously breathe deep into your abdomen, try to feel the ground under your feet.
• Get help! Consult a breastfeeding adviser, a midwife or another professional whom you trust.