How to respond to a crying baby?
Crying is the best way infants can communicate. The communicate with you that they are in pain, hungry, they need a cuddle or a nappy change. It is a very complex pattern that changes in intensity and tone thereby providing a different message for different situations. Though new parents may not be able to differentiate between the messages, by experience they learn to.
Some mothers, especially first time mothers when hearing their baby cry feel an urge to cry. Even young babies respond to other's crying sound by crying. New borns cry at the sound of another crying baby. Some researchers believe that this is because of the natural human empathy feelings to react to other's sufferings. Next time you hear baby cry, observe your own feelings. The intensity of the sound arouses dicomfort in you. Be you a parent or non parent.
Research has showed that babies cry most during the first 3 months of life. Up to 3 months most babies cry for almost 2 hours per day after which the time drops substantially and by 6 months they are already into a 1 hour crying pattern.
How to soothe a crying baby
There are many ways to soothe a crying infant. Some of them are explained below.
- The first way many parents follow all over the world is lifting the baby to the shoulder and patting gently or rocking. For most babies, the upright posture, close contact with another person and the slow rythmic motion works excellently.
- Give a pacifier. Sucking is a natural instinct (remember from the previous articles that it is a reflex too) that helps babies to control themselves. Sucking the sweet pacifier relieves tension and quiets the baby.
- Speak softly, rock or make rythmic sounds. Sound of the fan, soft music or your own heart beat while holding the baby closely will help.
- Another important method follwowed all over the world is to swaddle the baby. Babies love to be swaddled. They feel secure and comfortable. Restricting movement and increasing warmth helps soothe a young baby.
- Massage the baby's body slightly. Relaxing baby's muscles can help baby out of tension and relieve pain.
- Swing the baby in a cradle or hold the baby while sitting in a rocking/sliding chair. Rhythmic to and fro motion works effectively.
Whether or not to quickly respond to a crying baby? Jane always responded to her baby Marta promptly whenever she cried. Marta's cries were always followed by her mother's love, comfort against any pain and food for hunger. As days went by, Marta's crying only increased. You always get a contradictory answer when you ask whether or not to quickly respond to a crying baby. Reacting promptly to a crying baby could actually teach the baby that crying is the best way to get what she wants. But then it depends on the situation. As days go by, parents learn to distinguish between the different types of cries.
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