5 Tips for Settling a Newborn Baby

 

You sweet bundle has arrived. And they’re crying. Noooooooo

But here’s the truth…….babies cry……a lot. Some of them totalling up to 2-3 hours a day and when you don’t know what the cry means it can be exhausting….and knock your confidence as a parent. You hate seeing your little one upset after all. Literally heartbreaking isn’t it!

Settling newborns is a key aspect of me being able to do my job. I have to not only get a newborn to sleep but to keep them asleep as I move them from position to position so that I can capture beautiful memories for my clients. The training that I do on a regular basis doesn’t just involve the physical taking of the photographs. It involves settling. Every time I complete another lesson with a different trainer I therefore pick up different techniques for soothing newborns. Not every technique will work for every baby of course. Every personality is different. But by reading this blog (thank you), you’ve going to be privy to my top 5 soothing tips.

First thing you need to do is rule out the obvious things. Are they hungry? Do they they have a dirty nappy?

Ticked those two off the list but they’re still crying? The likely hood is they are tired (did you know a newborn needs between 16 – 18 hours of sleep a day), or they just want a cuddle. These top tips for soothing a newborn will help for either of these reasons!

 

• Shhhhhhhh

This is my number one go to but it works best if you catch them just as they start to cry. A nice firm shhhhh noise over and over until they settle. Tip – You need to be louder they are! Hence why it’s easier before they get themselves really worked up. If you get straight in there as soon as they start to cry, it usually has effect very quickly. Even if  you miss the boat with this one and they’re already upset, I still recommend trying this as I think it helps you to remain calm, which in turn will help in calming your baby.

 

• White noise

Don’t fall into the trap of having everything silent so that your little one can sleep. Newborns like noise. The womb was a noisy place and they’ve loved listening to your heart beat for the past months. These reminders of what made them feel safe and secure will help them once again. Keep the TV on. Wash those clothes while your baby is a sleep. It’s sudden noises that are more likely to wake them up so if you keep your home with some sound or another, any sudden noises are less noticeable. There are fantastic free apps available where you can get a whole range of noises from shushing to heart beats and white noise to washing machines. See which one your baby responds to best. It can even become part of your sleep routine which will help you later down the line.

 

• Let them know you’re there

Your baby has fallen asleep in your arms and it’s time to lay them down….but you know how this goes. The minuet you put them down those eye pop open and it’s game over. Don’t panic, this one is for you. Put them down slowly making sure you don’t let any arms and legs fall about as you do it. Once you’ve laid them down rest your hand on their face. Cup their head with your hand even. If eyes pop open, do this as quickly as you can. Sounds silly? Trust me this one is a life saver, and unlike some of the other tips that work only for very young babies, it will continue to work in older babyhood.

 

• Bounce

Babies love movement. If one of my clients has moved onto to what I refer to as an angry or cross cry, this one works great to calm them down. Holding them in your arms, bounce them up or down. The bigger the bounce from your knees the better. Keep it rhythmic. This is another one that helps calming you down too, and as your baby will pick up on your tension, you being calm will help calm your baby.

 

• Security

Up until a few weeks ago they were curled up tightly inside the womb. It was a warm, cosy safe place where mummy’s heart reassured them constantly. Now they’re out in this huge world and given so much space that they don’t know what to do with. And on top of that, these legs and arms that barely had room to move in the womb are waving all over the place! For them, that’s pretty frightening! Your baby may be able to move their arms, but at this stage they are involuntary movements. They don’t know how to control their arms and legs, and when they get upset, those limbs fly all over the place and basically freak them out. So if you’re baby has gotten upset, the quickest way to help them calm down is get those limbs back under control. You can either wrap them in a blanket, or hold them to stop them flying about. Do this along side the bounce and shhh and I bet you quickly see the effect. Bear in mind though, this one is temporary. Once your baby can control their arm movements, restraint will then have the opposite effect so make use of this life saver while you can.

 

If none of those things work for you, then it’s time to explore other reasons why your baby may be crying. Do they have wind? Reflux Colic? If you baby cries inconsolably please do reach out to your midwife or health visitor for further advice.

And one final thing…….you’re doing great!