How do I calm my baby?

Picture this: It’s the perfect day. The sun is shining, you’ve managed to get out of the house to meet a friend for a coffee and walk on the beach. The air is fresh and warm. You see signs of Spring all around. You’re feeling hopeful, good, and a little like yourself today (and - let’s be real - it’s been a minute since you’ve felt that way). 

You glance at your phone and notice that you have to leave to get home for baby’s nap. No worries though. This day is going perfectly and you should arrive home just in time to start the nap routine. You say goodbye to your friend, load baby into the car, and start the 15 minute drive home. 

That’s when everything takes a rough turn. Baby starts becoming fussy, kicking her legs with force and crying loudly. The volume only increases as you push the petal a little harder in the direction of home. She won’t keep the soother in her mouth and isn’t distracted by the random toys you are gently shaking near her face. 

By the time you get inside the house she is inconsolable. Forget about napping, she won’t even relax in your arms. You feel like you’re at a loss.

Relatable to anyone? 

Typical reasons for a fussy baby are overtiredness, overstimulation, a dirty diaper, teething or sickness, or becoming startled. To learn more about why babies cry, view our Youtube video:

Regardless of the reason your baby may struggling to regulate, having strategies that work to calm baby are important to have in your parent tool belt. 

(In the story above, baby have become overstimulated from an unusual morning out of the house, and needed a shorter wake window).

Here are some things that you can use next time your baby has difficulty regulating or calming:

🦸‍♀️Remember to try and stay calm - it is so easy to elevate our stress to match baby’s distress. Instead, take a deep, full-body yoga breath, drink a cup of water, and then proceed with a strategy.

🦸‍♀️ Use a mirror - Babies find faces extremely interesting and this can distract them while allowing them to transition into the next part of their day.

🦸‍♀️ Lower the lighting - By lowering the lights in the room, you are able to limit stimulation. This is also a good way to encourage melatonin production in your baby's brain.

🦸‍♀️Change the scenery or temperature - Take a short stroll to the driveway, or even step onto the balcony while you cuddle baby against you. This will distract her and get her to focus on other things, like the sound of the rain, the wind moving through the leaves, or a bird flying by.

🦸‍♀️ Take a warm shower - Using a warm shower with skin-to-skin contact will help her regulate by your breathing and the warmth naturally inducing melatonin.

And though baby will get fussy at times, I encourage you to continue getting out of the house and connecting with friends. It is okay for us to miss the mark on wake windows and it is okay for baby to be upset at times. They will survive, you will survive, and the more practice you get, the better you will become and understanding your capacity.

Happy adventuring,

Anna