Your new baby is the joy of your life, but there are times when she cries and you honestly have no idea why, or what to do to make her better. Crying is her way of expressing what she needs. Pay attention to her and you’ll soon learn which cry means what. Here is a breakdown of what she is saying.
Move her to a quiet place. Babies are easily over stimulated. If you are in a room with a large group of people or there are a lot of things going on, she may just be having a difficult time adjusting to it. Also, if she has had a lot of contact with strangers she may get uncomfortable. Take her somewhere that is familiar and safe to her, put on some soft music or calming noises. She may just calm down.
Try instituting a schedule at night that is conducive to your baby’s sleep. This means doing the same routine every night so that you are signaling to your baby that it is time to go to sleep. This routine might involve a warm bath, the same lullaby, changing on a Rumble Tuff changing pad snuggling with a blanket saved only for sleep or rocking. If you do the same things each night before bedtime, you prime your baby to sleep and let him or her know that sleep time is coming.
“I’m wet.” Your baby likes sitting in a dirty diaper about as much as you would like it. If she has soiled her diaper she will cry until she is comfortable again. Make sure you check her diaper often. If you know she’s pooped, don’t wait to change it. This will cause her to cry, and it will cause diaper rash.
“I want mom.” Okay, your baby spent the first nine months of her life nestled up beneath your heart. Going from that quiet, safe environment to one full of noises, lights, strange people, and other stimuli can be difficult.
There are times when baby just wants mom to hold her. It’s a good idea to invest in a newborn sling so you can hold her and still use your hands. Newborn slings cradle baby next to your body, much like she would be cradled if you were holding her in your arms.
Keeping baby engaged during the day will also help them to be tired when nighttime rolls around, allowing you to get some much needed shut-eye.
