Newborn
The cry, then your hands
A crying baby is a checklist, then a decision about your own head. Do the checklist first so you are not soothing a baby who is simply hungry.
- Hungry. Offer the breast or a bottle. Sometimes they want to suck more than they want milk. A newborn can have a dummy, or find their fingers.
- Upset. Cradle hold, or a sling used properly. Rock, walk, talk, sing. Turn the light and the noise down.
- Tired. Yawning or jerky legs. Safe sleep place, on the back. Wrapping can help until they show signs of rolling, around 3 to 4 months. Stop wrapping once they can roll.
- Wet. Change the nappy. Clean water, pat dry, barrier cream if there is a rash.
- Too hot. Check clothes and the room. Around 37 degrees is the normal temperature they name.
- Sick. A fever at 0 to 3 months needs immediate medical care. An older baby with fever plus other illness signs needs a GP. Never shake a baby. It can cause permanent brain damage, disability or death.
If you cannot get them quiet and you have run the list, put them down somewhere safe and walk out until you can come back. Ask someone else to take a turn. If you are alone and at the edge, that walk-away still matters more than another minute of shaking.
Raising Children is plain that crying peaks in the early weeks and that some babies cry a lot even when fed and dry. You are not failing because the cry continues after you did the useful things.
Source: Raising Children Network