Soothing Your Baby

Babies cry as a form of communication. Sometimes it may be challenging to soothe a crying baby.

Try to identify why your baby is crying.

• Hunger: Baby may show signs like sucking his fists, turning towards your breasts, or rooting (making sucking motions with his mouth).
• Soiled diaper: Check for and change dirty diapers immediately.
• Too hot or too cold: Baby may appear uncomfortable and may be flushed or sweaty. Remove or add clothing as necessary, and adjust the room temperature.
• Illness: If baby feels very warm, check his temperature. Use an axillary (armpit) thermometer as this is more accurate in an infant 6 months old and below. If baby is having a fever, do bring him to see a doctor. Refer to our chapter, “Managing the Sick Child”.
• Overstimulation: This happens when baby is tired but cannot sleep, and is frustrated.

Try these methods to soothe your baby.

Make sure all of baby’s comfort needs are met

• Swaddling – Swaddling provides newborns with a sense of security and comfort as this is the position they were cocooned in while in the womb.
• Massage – You can try some gentle massages to soothe baby.
• Change in stimulation – Dim the lights where you and baby are, or go with baby to another room. You can even try taking baby for a ride in the car or stroller.
• Cuddle your baby – Hold baby close to your chest or against your body while you walk or sit in a rocking chair.
• Soothing Sounds – Babies love attention and sounds, so talk, sing or coo to him softly. To try to get baby to sleep, it’s best to put him in a dark, quiet room with no distractions. Some babies prefer a room with soothing background noise like a fan, a ticking clock, white noise or soft music.

It is okay to pick baby up and carry him when he cries. Baby needs to know that someone is there for him. Avoid leaving baby to “cry it out”.

If you get to the point where you are very frustrated with the crying and you feel angry at yourself and your baby, it is time to take a break. If you have a family member or another trusted adult at home with you, ask for help. If you are alone, make sure that baby is fed, dry and safe. Leave him in the crib while you step away to another room for a few moments. Stay calm and your baby is more likely to calm down too.

NEVER shake your baby to make him stop crying! Shaking can cause internal bleeding and damage your baby’s brain.

Most of the time, the crying will stop when baby’s comfort needs are met. However, do bring baby to see a doctor if you observe any of the following:

• Baby cries constantly for more than 3 hours or cannot be soothed despite trying for a reasonable period of time.
• Baby’s cry sounds different or “painful” to you
• Baby has signs of illness like fever, cough, runny nose, vomiting or diarrhoea
• Baby is lethargic and/or not feeding well
• You feel scared that you are tired or angry and might hurt your baby

Reference: KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Health Promotion Board