Crying Baby & Safe Sleeping

When Your Baby Cries 

Twenty Ways to Cope

 

First, check to see if baby is hungry, thirsty, wet or soiled, or has a temperature. 

If not, try these suggestions. 

1. Swaddle baby in a soft blanket and cuddle. 

2. Walk or dance with baby. 

3. Rock the baby. 

4. Bounce baby gently in your arms or on a bed. 

5. Take baby for a walk in a stroller. 

6. Put baby in a wind-up swing or bouncy chair. 

7. Play soft music, sing, or hum quietly. 

8. Offer baby a soothing toy. 

9. Sing or talk in a quiet, singsong way. 

10. Put baby in a soft front carrier, close to your body. 

11. Lay baby tummy down across your lap and gently rub or tap his back. 

12. Take baby for a car ride. 

13. Massage baby’s body and limbs gently. 

14. Give baby a soothing bath. 

15. Feed and burp baby one more time. 

16. Offer a pacifier (some pacifiers may allow less air to pass in around the baby’s mouth and may be better for a colicky baby). Gently hold it in baby’s mouth if necessary. 

17. Hold baby close and breathe slowly and calmly; the baby may feel your calmness and become quiet. 

18. Remove yourself and let someone else take over for a while. If a friend or family member is not available, consider hiring a baby-sitter for a short period of time. 

19. Lie down with baby on your chest with only a diaper for baby and no clothes on your chest. Skin-to-skin contact sometimes calms baby, especially if baby can also hear your heart beat. 

20. If NOTHING works, put baby in his or her bed and close the door. Turn up the TV or radio, or sit outside to calm yourself. Check the child every 15 minutes or so, for your peace of mind. 

For support, call the 24-hour Parent Support Line at (888) 281-3000. 

If you think your baby is sick, call your pediatrician or health-care provider. 

 

Adapted from UC Davis CAARE Diagnostic and Treatment Center 

 

Keeping Your Sleeping Infant Safe

According to the American Medical Association, a variety of factors are associated with increased probably of sleep-related deaths. Prenatal risks include: inadequate prenatal care, inadequate prenatal nutrition, tobacco smoking, alcohol and other drug use, teenage pregnancy, and subsequent births less than one year apart. Post-natal risks include: low birth weight, exposure to tobacco smoke, laying an infant to sleep on his or her stomach, failure to breastfeed, excess clothing and overheating, excessive bedding, soft sleep surface and stuffed animals, age (incidence rises from zero at birth, is highest from 2-4 months, and declines towards zero at one year) and premature birth (increases risky by 50 times).

Tips to keep your infant safe while sleeping include: 

1. Always place baby on back to sleep — even for naps, it’s “back to sleep.” 

2. Put baby to sleep on a firm mattress in a safety-approved crib. 

3. Baby should sleep alone, without siblings or adults. 

4. Remove soft, fluffy bedding and toys from the crib. 

5. Make sure baby’s face and head are uncovered when sleeping. 

6. Make sure baby is not too warmly dressed. 

7. Don’t let anyone smoke around baby — sleeping or awake. 

8. Don’t do drugs or drink alcohol when watching baby. 

9. Do not fall asleep with baby on a couch. 

10. Never leave baby alone in the house while sleeping — or awake.