Parents find themselves in situations when the baby gets colicky and hard to soothe. That said, it seems quite natural for babies to cry as they try to be heard by their parents. However, it might be terrible and tiring when nothing helps. It is essential to know why your baby is fussy and at what times they might accept interventions. This can help to calm them down as being helpful and protective, and not as burdensome and intrusive.

Here are the complete details on how to soothe a fussy baby. 

Understanding and Managing Colic

Among all the causes that can lead to persistent crying in babies, colic is one of the most widespread. Colic is therefore an excessive and continuous crying in an otherwise healthy newborn, which cannot be stopped by efforts like feeding the child. It is usually expressed at the age of two to three weeks and goes up to the age of three to four months.

What Causes Colic?

What factors actually lead to colic have not been established. However, the reasons thought to link with colic include cases of digestion upset, formation of gas or an immature nervous system. Certain babies may also have a sensitive stomach, this could also put the baby at risk of developing colic.

Managing Colic

Despite having no cure for colic, medicine has had viable ideas as to how to treat it. The first thing for parents to attempt at treating colic is to avoid exposing the baby to too much light, sound or physical activity. Another helpful action regarding the position of the baby is swaddling the child with a soft blanket as this gives the baby a sense of security. Swinging or strolling your baby may help relieve pain and discomfort for him or her. Parents have discovered that placing an infant in front of a white noise machine or pleasant music has a soothing effect on a colicky baby. Furthermore, you can also attempt to give the baby a pacifier to suck on or you can give your baby a warm bath.

Effective Soothing Techniques

If your baby is colicky or simply cranky, here are several things you can do to provide him or her with relief.

Swaddling

Babies being covered in cloth from head to toe is referred to as swaddling and has the ability of making the baby to be calm. The warmth and gentle pressure provide some sort of a resemblance to the feeling. It is believed that the swaddling of your baby enables them to bend their hips and thighs in addition to the lower legs and never to lie on the tummy while swaddled.

Gentle Motion

Babies like movement that is smooth and in a routine motion because it makes them feel comfortable. Some of the strategies that can be used include placing your baby in a rocking chair, a baby swing or you can cradle your baby and gently move from one side to the other. Going for a walk with a baby in the stroller or going for a car ride can also be used to calm a child.

White Noise

The steady sound can further cover other sounds, thus, making it easier for an individual to get a comforting sleep. Some of the ways that may be used are a white noise machine, fan or a sound track of ocean waves or rainfall. White noises could also be; the noise produced by vacuum cleaner or the sound of a hair dryer operating.

Skin-to-Skin Contact

It is gentle touching of the skin; this helps a baby to feel warm, and secure. Cradling your baby right on your chest, skin to skin will enable the baby to calm down. It is most appropriate when your baby is still in their initial days as the outside environment can be peculiar to them.

Other Helpful Tips

In addition to the techniques mentioned above, there are a few other strategies you can try to soothe your fussy baby.

• Check for Hunger or Discomfort: Critically, sometimes irritability is just due to hunger, need for diaper change or due to discomfort in some way. It is important to always have a check on these basic needs more so when managing a large group of people.

• Burp Your Baby: When your baby seems to be irritable after taking food, especially breast milk, chances are high that they might have taken lots of air and need burping. Tap on the child’s back as this will assist to burp him/ her in case he/she has swallowed a lot of air.

• Create a Calming Routine: There are many ways which will help to set a routine: any kind of regimen can make a baby understand that it is time to sleep. A nice warm bath, a soft masse, and a beautiful lullaby which helps to calm the patient.

A fussy baby needs to be handled with care, there isn’t an overnight solution and even trying to comfort one needs trial. They are the lessons you need to learn to determine that your baby is experiencing colic and when to get help as well as how to soothe your baby. Never let it get to you because if things get tough, it is okay to ask for assistance. Dealing with grievances can be complicated, but the good point is that gradually it is possible to discover patterns that fit the child and become a proper parent.