How to calm Baby’s crying?

Crying is your baby’s first way of getting attention so his parents can take care of him. Over the weeks, you will learn to recognize your baby’s crying better and better, and therefore to meet his expectations more easily. Not easy, of course … But if he feels that you are distraught, he may worry and cry even more. Even if you don’t understand the reason for his screaming, cuddling him while explaining that you are there for him can soothe him quickly.

Baby Crying: Possible Medical Problems

Only 5% of baby crying has a medical origin. Crying that should alert you is usually accompanied by other symptoms. For example, your baby becomes very pale, his mucous membranes are very red, he cries with his mouth wide open, or you just feel that his crying is different from what he usually produces. In these cases, do not hesitate to take him to the doctor or pediatrician. Same thing if Baby loses appetite and / or loses weight.

Baby crying: he has reflux

Your baby may also have a gastrointestinal problem and have gastric reflux. Be aware that it is very rare, but if in doubt, take him to the pediatrician, only he can advise you on the right actions to adopt. Your child simply cries when he is sick:, headache… He may cry in real pain, for example if he is given a blood test or an injection. 

Doctor Georges Picherot also indicates that “ sometimes an infant who is in great pain does not cry because the pain is so intense. »

Identify maternal exhaustion

When to worry about a baby crying? When her mother is exhausted! The whole challenge for health personnel is to be able to identify vulnerable relatives. In particular, mothers with postpartum depression. Indeed, already subjected to a big emotional load, these can have a threshold of tolerance to the crying of the baby rather limited. “Above all, we must not make the parents feel guilty” assures Doctor Georges Picherot. According to him, parents should try to rest as much as possible. Indeed, excessive infant crying can sometimes lead some parents to have the wrong attitude. Instead of tenderly rocking their baby, they may have violent gestures, and even shake. Prevention of shaken baby syndrome is essential according to Georges Picherot. “It is also important that the mother is not alone to overcome all this. It is important to talk when you have an infant who cries a lot ”. Asking for help when you feel at the end of the line is absolutely essential. The pediatrician who advocates dialogue believes that when we reassure parents, at the same time we reassure the baby. He insists: “You don’t have to worry, all these tears are transitory! »

Baby crying: the right actions

First, know it, there is no miracle recipe, ready-made solution. It can only be on a case-by-case basis. You can still make a few checks. Ask yourself the right questions: has he eaten enough? drank ? Has it been changed? Maybe it’s too hot or too cold. If baby does not calm down, do not hesitate to hug him, rock him. If you have the possibility, buy a rocking chair, it will allow you to rock baby gently. Another solution, you can put your child in the baby carrier and thus go about your usual occupations. The more contact, the better. Your child may also be upset at the digestive level. You can then carry it with your stomach against your arm, the slight pressure of your member massages it and calms it.

If, despite all your efforts, baby does not calm down, you have no other choice but to let him cry, be patient with your pain, he will eventually calm down on his own. Like adults, babies need to release tension and all the emotions they feel during the day..  

Soothe baby: another approach

Gisèle Gremmo-Feger, pediatrician at the University Hospital of Brest listed other mothering techniques in “Another look at infant crying” published at the 15th National Congress of Outpatient Pediatrics in 2008. In traditional societies such as among the Kung San from the Kalahari (southern Africa), babies are carried 80% of the time. The child is in almost permanent physical contact with his mother. The slightest sob is taken care of quickly. Studies have shown that 90% of these kids calm down in less than 30 seconds. It is not only in Africa that the practice of intensive mothering is used. In South Korea, the percentage of time babies are alone is 8.3%. Korean mothers also respond systematically to episodes of crying from their infants.

In another edifying study, a researcher compared crying in the first three months of infants’ life between three distinct groups. The first practiced “proximal” mothering, that is to say baby carried 16 hours a day, co-sleep, rapid response to crying, etc. The second used the so-called “western” method, little physical contact, let the baby cry before going to see him … The last used an intermediate method to the other two. The researcher found that babies from group using the “western” method cried 50% more than those whose mothers practiced more intensive mothering.

Most studies show that intensive mothering reduces crying. Of course, she can’t make them go away. Above all, we must always contextualize these practices. It is important that each woman can choose the mothering technique that best suits her. 

Take your baby in your arms!

It’s time to put an end to misconceptions! Your baby won’t get fussy because you hug him or her whenever he cries. And you won’t give him “bad habits” by trying to cope with his discomfort by cuddling him. Quite the contrary!

Do not listen to the advice of Aunt Geraldine who urges you to let Theo cry so that he “does his lungs”. In six months, it will be time to change the rules of the game.

Rocking Baby, you comfort him, strengthen him, and make him more confident: it’s so reassuring to arrive in a world where your distress calls are heard!

Do you want to talk about it between parents? To give your opinion, to bring your testimony? We meet on https://forum.parents.fr.