New Baby Advice - Soothing Your Crying Newborn

For the first twelve weeks, just get baby to eat, poop and sleep, however you can. As one of my friend's said, "the first 12 weeks is triage, just get through it however you can." So, if baby likes to nap in the swing here and there, FINE. If you have to put the car seat on the floor of your room or in baby's crib, FINE. With that said, there are plenty of times that baby is crying and crying and crying, for NO apparent reason! There are books, mother-in-laws and doctors with all kinds of approaches. Here are just a few.

The 5 S's - this is from the book "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Harvey Karp. I hope he is OK with me publishing his terrific approach on this web site. The book is worth a read to get each step down - especially swaddling. The basic idea is that you incorporate 5 things simultaneously to soothe your baby.

Shhhsh-ing

Swaddle

Side

Sway

Suck

So, as quick as a can, you need to swaddle baby turn him on his side, sway while sshhing and then stick a paci in his mouth. And, the other key component is to do it as intensely as the baby's crying. So, at first, baby is probably freaking out and screaming. So, you need to sshh really loud over the cry. Sway consistently, but obviously nothing vigorous. And hold baby snugly on his side towards your chest. That is how it worked for me.

Jiggle walk - this clever term was coined by a friend of mine. You walk the floors of your home with baby cozy in your arms, wrapped in a blankie or even swaddled, and you jiggle. Some babies even require that you go up and down the stairs. My son had to be high up on my shoulder, NOT cradled like a newborn. And as soon as I stopped moving or tried to sit down and continue to jiggle, he was wide awake and screaming again!

Vacuum - everyone has heard of using a vacuum. They even make a CD with various soothing 'white noise' sounds. But if the CD doesn't work, which it didn't for another friend, try an actual vacuum or a Dustbuster. The friend I speak of taped a Dustbuster onto the crib and went through TWO during the newborn phase!

Singing and Rocking - baby loves the sound of your voice, even if you don't!

Please share with me any other ingenious ways that you used to calm your crying baby.  And remember, every baby is different!