A CRYING BABY
The following suggestions are ways in which parents have
helped sooth their babies or cope with excessive crying
:
IS BABY HUNGRY?
• Offer breastfeed or bottlefeed
IS BABY THIRSTY?
• Offer drink from spoon or bottle
IS BABY IN PAIN?
• Check for illness or allergies with GP or Health
Visitor
• Offer the breast, bottle or dummy
• Offer cool boiled water, an infant colic remedy
e.g. baby herbal remedy,
Infacol, gripe water
• Try gentle massaging of baby’s tummy
• Try changing baby’s position
• Pick baby tip and walk about with him/her - a sling
can be helpful
• Try gently rocking up and down
IS BABY TIRED BUT FIGHTS SLEEP?
• Offer breast, bottle
• Try rocking baby horizontally in your arms or in
the pram/pushchair
• Try a rocking or swinging cradle
• Try a quieter room
• Leave baby to cry for a short time
• Try a softer light or a darker room
• Use a baby soother cassette or sing to your baby
• Some very quiet background noises may soothe baby.
Try ticking clocks,
or make cassettes of vacuum cleaners, hairdryer noises,
etc.
• Check that baby is comfortable and that he/she is
not too hot or cold.
Check tummy to gauge temperature.
• Car rides or pram walks may help baby to fall asleep
• Let baby sleep in fresh air
• Try a warm bath
IS BABY FIGHTING AT THE BREAST?
• Check baby’s position at the breast, most
of your nipple should be inside
the baby’s mouth
• Check baby’s nose is free of the breast (his/her
head should be tilted back
slightly)
• Let baby suck on a dummy and substitute breast quickly
• Check to see whether his/her nose is blocked and
consult Health Visitor
or GP if necessary
• Try chancing feeding position, e.g. sitting up,
lying down
• Is there too little milk? Feed more frequently
• Consult Health Visitor. GP or a National Childbirth
Trust (NCT)
counsellor if you are still experiencing problems
DIFFICULTY BOTTLE FEEDING?
• Try a different bottle or teat
• Check the size of the teal hole and change to a
different size if necessarv
• Try offering bottles more frequently for a few days
• Leave half an hour. Then try once again
IS BABY UNCOMFORTABLE?
• Change baby's nappy
• Try different nappies or leave of plastic pants
• Let baby kick nappy-free
• Check for nappy rash - consult Health Visitor
• Check for clothing rashes
• Check babies temperature by feeling tummy - adjust
clothing accordingly.-
SENSITIVE BABY
• Handle and talk to baby gently and quietly
• Do not overwhelm baby with stimulation
• Try a quieter enviroment. Try to keep to a routine
and limit the number of
visitor
IS BABY GENERALLY CRANKY?
• Check for illness consult Health Visitor or GP
• Talk to your baby
• Play with him/her: use toys or safe household objects
• Let baby kick nappy-free
• Try using a sling to carry baby around
• Try a bouncing chair or baby bouncer (always follow
manufacturers
guidelines)
• Take baby out in pram or buggy
• Visit a friend
• Comfort by gentle rocking movement or soothing noise
• Offer baby a feed
• Massage baby and give warm bath
• Consult registered homoeopath. Try infant herbal
remedies or infant colic
remedies
• Consult a registered cranial osteopath with paediatric
experience
STILL CRYING?
• Put baby down, shut door, walk out of room for a
break
• Give baby to someone else for a few hours if possible
• Use any time away from baby to look after yourself.
Eat well and unwind
• Go out with baby
• Phone your Health Visitor. GP. , the CRY-SIS Helpline
(Tel : 020 7404 5011), friend or relative
Adopted with kind permission from Pat Gray's ' Crying Baby
- How to cope'
Information Courtesy of:
B.M. Cry-sis
London
WC1N 3XX
Tel: 020 7404 5011
Email: Cry-sis
Cry-sis
The Cry-sis Helpline and Serene publications provide support
for families with excessively crying, sleepless and demanding
babies and young children.
Publication enquiries:
SAE to
164 Gordon Hill
Enfield
EN2 0QT
Night-time Crying
Checklist and ideas for settling a baby under a year old
Make sure baby is not hungry or thirsty.
Check that baby is comfortable and that his/her nappy is
clean and dry.
Make sure the clothing is not too tight.
Is baby too hot or too cold? Check baby’s tummy temperature.
Rhythmic movement often settles babies. Rocking in a pram
and gentle swinging in a crib can have a hypnotic effect.
Baby slings are useful as they provide continual movement
plus the security of Mum or Dad.
Some babies like light, others prefer the dark.
Soother tapes and devices may help babies fall asleep.
A bedtime routine is a worthwhile investment for the future.
This is best introduced as soon as possible with perhaps
a warm bath before bedtime and a quiet feed and cuddle before
sleep.
From 3 months babies are becoming aware of their environment,
so other methods of settling them to sleep can be considered.
Mobiles and soft playthings above the cot prevent boredom
and make baby’s cot a more enjoyable place to be.
As babies get older a particular toy or “cuddly”
can be encouraged so that baby is more secure on his/her
own. Soft toys in the cot can act as insulators - avoid
overheating baby.
Many of them find their own fingers and thumbs to suck
for comfort.
