How Can Soothe My Baby?
Helping babies relax can help them feel happier and more comfortable. Here are some tips on soothing your baby.
Massage: Infant massage may help babies, especially those who were born early or have medical problems. Some types of massage may enhance bonding and help babies grow and develop. Many books and videos cover infant massage — ask your doctor for recommendations. Be careful, though — babies aren’t as strong as adults, so massage your baby gently.
Sounds: Babies usually love vocal sounds, such as talking, babbling, singing, and cooing. Your baby will probably enjoy listening to soft music. Baby rattles and musical mobiles are other good ways to stimulate your infant's hearing. If your little one is fussy, try singing, reciting poetry and nursery rhymes, or reading aloud as you sway or rock your baby gently in a chair.
Some babies can be unusually sensitive to touch, light, or sound. They might startle and cry easily, sleep less than expected, or turn their faces away when someone speaks or sings to them. If that's the case with your baby, keep noise and light levels low to medium.
Swaddling: Another soothing technique is swaddling, which works well for some babies during their first few weeks. Proper swaddling keeps a baby's arms close to the body while allowing their legs to move a bit. It keeps a baby warm, and it seems to give most newborns a sense of security and comfort. Swaddling also may help limit the startle reflex, which can wake a baby.
Here's how to swaddle your baby:
- Spread out a baby blanket with one corner folded over slightly.
- Lay the baby face-up on the blanket with their head above the folded corner.
- Wrap the left corner over the baby's body and tuck it beneath the back, going under the right arm.
- Bring the bottom corner up over the baby's feet and pull it toward their head, folding the fabric down if it gets close to your baby's face. Don’t wrap too tightly around the hips. The hips and knees should be slightly bent and turned out. Wrapping your baby too tightly may increase their risk for hip dysplasia (dis-PLAY-zhuh).
- Wrap the right corner around your baby, and tuck it under their back on the left side, leaving only the neck and head exposed. To make sure your baby isn’t wrapped too tightly, make sure you can slip a hand between the blanket and your baby's chest. This will allow comfortable breathing. But make sure that the blanket isn’t so loose that it could come undone.
- Stop swaddling when your baby shows signs of starting to roll over. That’s usually around 2 months. At this age, some babies can roll over while swaddled, which puts them at risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).