Baby cries are frequent, especially during the first 3 months (Rose starts to make his teeth now, and I feel that it will also be a little more chaotic). To keep calm and not/ stressful in the face of baby's crying, remember that it is the baby's way of communicating with his parents. And also that the infant does not yet have a small, very evolved belly and therefore has difficulty digesting.
Our little Rose suffered from heavy colic and internal reflux (RGO) so we tried everything to calm her tears that broke our hearts. We also have a very sensitive baby, so she also cried to release the pressure at the end of the day (the famous crying of discharge).
Many of you have shared with me your tricks that I have carefully noted and tested with our daughter and that I share with you today.
Let baby cry?
As I said above, baby's crying is his way of communicating with us, letting your baby cry is ignoring her, not answering her, leaving him alone with his pain and sorrow.
Of course sometimes this is not possible. Mommy's job is exhausting, and sometimes with the added fatigue, you're on edge. It can happen that you are no longer able to and in this case it is certainly better to let baby cry for the time to calm down. It happens, we all do our best!
But most of the time, I remain convinced that baby needs us when he cries. He needs to be reassured, cuddled and answered.
To those who say to me: but look I let him cry 1/2/3 nights, then after more crying! Everyone does what they want and I don't judge! BUT, I don't think baby is crying anymore because he's been ignored and he knows there's no use crying when his parents won't come.
For my part, I want Rose to know that if she needs me, I'll be there. I want her to express herself, to communicate her joys and sorrows to me, to tell me when she is in pain somewhere, when she is cold. So I always answer her crying. I hold her in my arms, cuddle her, give her the breast, the lullaby. Sometimes it doesn't work. Just because your baby keeps crying doesn't mean that you "let him cry," in which case you go with him, you're there for him. Sometimes in fact baby is inconsolable, he just needs us to be there to reassure him, to tell him that we are there for him.
**Tips to calm baby's crying **
Here's what worked for her:
- Skin to skin. Super soothing for baby. It worked when it was a nightmare of discharge crying.
- Carrying in the Hana Baby wrap. We made movements from bottom to top (it makes calves!) which really helped because it massaged her stomach and reassured her at the same time.
- Walking, walking, walking, walking, with baby in the arms (usually carrying).
- Biogaia probiotics, great for calming colic.
- Infant gaviscon to calm reflux.
- Keeping baby long after feeding in a vertical position again
- Sh sh sh sh in the ear. It still works to calm Rose down when she's upset (she's 4 1/2 months old). On the other hand, the recordings don't work on her, she needs the real stuff!
- Red Castle Miracle blanket. Being swaddled calmed Rose at night. It reassured her.
- Yoga ohm works well too.
- I love the massage. Sometimes just pedaling baby's little legs is enough to relieve his stomach!
- Lying on her stomach for a few minutes.
- Make her suck my little finger (she doesn't like the nipple)
- Tell her that I'm here for her, and that I'll always be there.
- Don't forget that there can be many reasons: a dirty, cold, hot diaper, fatigue, hunger, sometimes Rose cries just because she wants attention (for example we talk to each other without paying attention!)...
And the other tricks I was given:
• A teddy bear that calms baby with its white noises by reproducing the sounds of the uterus
• Sing him a lullaby
• Thickened milk for bottle-fed babies (if baby also has reflux)
• Breastfeeding POPs and allergens eviction (it didn't work for Rose)
• Ostheopathic sessions (we tried, but it didn't work for Rose)
• The anti-colonic hot water bottle
• Give her a teat
• Polysilane
• Calmosin
• The julep gummy preparation that you ask for in pharmacy with orange blossom, carbonate, gum arabic and I don't know what but it actually feels like a gastric bandage and it relieves them of crazy?
• Homeopathy
• Rolled change
• Remember that baby can make his teeth very young..
• Lime water (1 teaspoon before each head)
• Roll up a towel and put it under her legs when she's lying down. It pulls less on the stomach and relieves colic (we used to sleep in the cocoonabababy that lifts baby's legs, so no need!).
• Make her take a hot bath (we bathed her, she hated it until she was 3 months old!).
• The positions recommended by the osteopath (especially this one)
And then little by little, crying is less frequent. We also learn to understand and differentiate them better!
I am a wedding and birth announcement designer, specialized in watercolor painting.