13 Best Ways to Make a Baby Stop Crying

Generally, a baby cries because he or she cannot communicate in words, but can communicate through crying. Some babies are just sensitive while some cannot tolerate light or touch very well. And it can cause them to cry.

Additionally, hunger, sleepiness, and dirty diapers can also be the reason behind their crying. Sometimes, the teething pain has caused an infection inside their gums that leaves them crying all day long until they are given treatment.

How to make a baby stop crying?  It’s a question that every parent has been asked at least once. As a parent, you will likely need to know the right method to make your baby stop crying sooner or later. For parents not to take their babies’ crying too hard, we listed 13 effective ways to manage a crying a baby.

Best ways to make a baby stops crying!

There are many different approaches to calming a crying baby. Some of the most popular methods include swaddling, rocking, feeding, and holding. However, several other methods have been proven very effective in soothing a baby that we have mentioned in the below list and they are:

1. Get outside

Most parents know that a walk outside can calm a crying baby. The fresh air and sunlight may be soothing to anyone who has been cooped up inside all day long. Getting outside also provides parents with an opportunity to work off their stress, which can build up while caring for a fussy infant. Sometimes a colicky baby will calm instantly just by being outside in the fresh air. The rhythmic motion can be very soothing for infants who are experiencing colic symptoms. And the crying baby can be calmed by being in a fitted infant carrier, close to the chest of a parent.

2. Nurse them

Hold your baby close to your chest. Rocking them or walking around with them often helps calm them down, as does nursing or even giving them a bottle. Usually baby cries due to a gas, dirty diaper, or hunger and if you nurse your baby or give them food it will help digest that. For Nursing fussy babies it’s important to choose right formula. There are so many different formulas to choose from when you have a newborn in your life.

3. Turn on a calming sound

A white noise machine or a simple sound machine can help calm a fussy baby. Noise can help block out outside noises and distractions, which may irritate your baby even more. Some parents swear by the repetitive rhythm of fans to soothe their babies. Others find that nature sounds such as waves crashing work well for putting their crying babies. It is a useful way for also in the situation of the shaken baby syndrome, as well.

4. Avoid overfeeding

How to stop a screaming baby? To stop crying baby breastfeeding mothers should avoid overfeeding. If there is too much food then the baby will have to take more time to digest it which makes the baby tired and hungry again. When a child consumes extra food, he may also produce excessive gas that leads to discomfort.

However, overfeeding with water is not possible due to the lack of a mechanism for the absorption of water. According to the American Academy of pediatrics, studies show that young babies fed on formula require additional feeding after 30-40 minutes of the first feeding. They should be fed on demand and not on a schedule as it can lead to overfeeding.

5. Let them sleep properly

If your baby is not sleeping properly at night and crying so much you do not know what to do. It might help to look into developing a routine. How to get a baby to stop crying? Make them comfortable before putting them to sleep and give yourself enough time. So there aren’t any interruptions in their rest. Even if they wake up at night, go right back to sleep. Usually, a baby cries because he/she feels disturbed and if their sleep is uninterrupted they will be the happiest baby.

6. Take a deep breath

This may sound like a “duh” moment but one of the most important things you can do. When your baby is crying and nothing seems to be calming them down is calm yourself down. Remember that this too shall pass and that most parents go through it with every child, so hang in there mama. If your child constant crying then takes a deep breath and let them cry for 20 minutes. You will be amazed at how much better they feel.

7. Wiggle their bottoms

If the problem seems to be a wet diaper, give them a little wiggle. A few seconds of shaking their bottoms can help relieve discomfort and calm them down. If they aren’t in discomfort, this still helps calm the baby down. Babies like to be loose and wiggling helps them relax and feel safe. Sometimes baby cry is a cry for attention and if you give them a little wiggle, they feel better.

8. Soothe yourself first

Do not try to calm your baby until you have calmed yourself. No matter how tired and frustrated you are, hurried actions may make matters worse. Soothing yourself is necessary because when the baby’s crying, your reaction is to try to calm the baby, but if you are upset yourself, your reaction will be more upsetting. It takes some time for the milk to flow in breastfeeding moms and the calming effect of the milk may not last long.

9. Offer a pacifier

How do you stop a baby crying? Therefore, you can give a baby a pacifier or toy. It will keep your little one busy and distract him/her from crying. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, pacifier should be a helpful toy to avoid shaken baby syndrome. The Art of Parenting correctly says that the first thing you should try to stop a baby’s cries is to offer a pacifier. This will soothe your child, distracting them from the cause of their tears in the first place.

10. Make a laugh track

For a crying baby, perhaps the easiest way to stop is to make a fake laugh track. Baby will hear this and think that everyone around them, including their parents, finds whatever they’re doing amusing. In situations of normal crying, the laughing therapy maintains your baby’s calm. The laugh track is also an excellent way to calm down your babies cries without actually picking up. Although, a crying noise will also calm your baby and make him or her think that all their surrounding friends are having fun.

11. Give the warm bath

The warm bath will make the child stop crying and relax. Try to make the bath as comfortable as possible. Some children like rinsing in a warm water stream. This way, you will avoid the child feeling cold and uncomfortable. Remember that cleaning your baby’s skin with soap after its bath is not recommended if it can be avoided.

This is because it may irritate the skin and make the problem even worse. Sometimes babies calm by feeling massage because of the comfort. It feels after rubbing these areas, it includes baby’s head, hands, feet, and belly.

12. Make sure about wet or dirty diaper

If you think your baby is crying because of some other reason, make sure that the diaper needs to be replaced. If it’s too dirty, clean it properly and change it. Baby’s cues will give you the idea that a diaper change is needed. If you feel that there could be any other reason for your baby to cry. Then try to distract them from the main point by providing something interesting for them to play with.

For example, if he is trying to reach toys fixed on the ceiling you can engage them with something of more importance to him. Or maybe some milk would do the trick if the baby is hungry.

13. Use rocking chair

The cradle of rocking gently to make the baby feel calm, sleep very well. And it is also helpful for their nervous system to develop healthily. Many babies fall asleep while playing with rocking chairs and it distracts them from excessive crying. For a young child, you can get out of the crib and then start to rock gently in their arms. Hence, remember that all the crying your baby will calm down by swinging up and down in your arms as well.

What’s the reason behind babies cry?

Babies have a lot of reasons for crying. In the first few weeks, they need to be fed every 2-3 hours. They may cry because their diaper is dirty or wet, or because they are hungry and not being fed fast enough. Babies also might be uncomfortable with the way you carry them. So try holding them differently if that’s the case. As well below we have discussed the main reasons behind babies cry and they are:

1 Hunger:

Most babies cry due to hunger and a baby’s stomach has a very strong signal which keeps telling the baby to feed. So whenever they feel hungry, they start crying. Thus, you must always check if he or she’s hungry or not. And make sure to feed your newborn hours a day. But do not overfeed the child because it may result in discomfort and vomiting. As well as the breaking point of a hungry baby is around more than three hours. Hungry babies feeling frustrated and continuously scream or kick their legs and arms.

2 Sleepiness:

This is one of the common reasons behind babies’ cry. A baby needs 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep for proper physical and mental growth. Therefore if he/she wakes up early in the morning or before their desired time then most probably he or she will start crying. In your baby’s life sleep is very important.

Sometimes you need to take the baby in your lap or bed and let them fall asleep. It’s a responsibility of parents or a family member that they have to take care of the sleep of their baby. If you want to play with the baby at night then do that after his or her sleep. Sleep is very important for your little one so that he/she can grow faster and healthier.

3 Pain or illness:

Babies are very sensitive it is quite natural that you feel the pain or have a headache or fever. And these reasons could be a cause of normal crying of your baby. According to Academic research institutions, the baby’s cry is the way of their facial expressions of pain. And some other rapid tiny movements problems which they are facing while growing in the womb.

Though the exterior of your baby is glowing with health their body image, internal organs, etc are under development so they may feel too exhausted to cry so much. Sometimes they may not feel safe in new surroundings especially if you have brought them home after hospital. In this situation as a parent you should give emotional support to your child.

4 Gas:

As well as Gas or bloated stomach is the main reason behind babies’ cry. As well as it is also found that gas can create discomfort inside the baby’s stomach and at times your baby will be crying with the rumbling sound of their tummy. If your baby is having difficulty taking deep breaths, then you should take her to her pediatrician for appropriate tests. In older babies, dry cough, hoarseness of voice or chest congestion can also be the reasons behind their crying.

5 Stranger anxiety:

The main reason behind the baby crying is that Baby feels alone or he/she is not comfortable with you. This is because they are always surrounded by family members and they cry only when left alone. Stranger anxiety can also be triggered due to the sudden addition of a person in the baby’s surroundings. It may be because of the new toys, clothes, etc. That you might have bought recently which is increasing the chances of stranger anxiety in children. If your child has got stranger anxiety then he/she will show some resistance when you leave them even with their close relatives or family member.

6 Overstimulation from noise:

Babies get overstimulated by the noise and it is better to keep the babies near you while traveling in a train or any other vehicle. Though remember not to take the baby out in full sunlight directly rather it is better to be in the shade because direct bright lights can overstimulate the baby. Sometimes the white noise works in favor of the babies and you can always try playing soft music near them. And the baby starts to get relaxed hearing the sounds as well.

Tips parents should remember!!

Therefore, parents need to remember that their children are still learning and growing. For improving parenting skills you should remember the following tips to holding a baby to stop crying and they are:

• Never shout at the baby to stop crying, this will make them feel more insecure and afraid of you.
• One cause for a baby’s cry is that they want attention from their parents or caretakers. So what you should do is give the baby your full attention and speak to them in a soft, calm voice.
• The babies need their sleep as much as we humans do. So if they wake up at night it’s best that you check on them and see what’s wrong and then go back and lay them down again.
• A slight change in their routine can sometimes cause a baby to cry out.
• Sometimes babies might feel insecure if they’re with people they don’t know. So they may yell and scream to try and get your attention. What you need to do is speak softly and tell them everything will be alright.
• Some parents believe that crying means that the baby wants milk. This is not always true. So if the baby is crying feed them but try other things to get them to stop crying before you decide they want milk.
• Babies cry when they are feeling ill, uncomfortable, or just plain bored. Check on them and see what’s wrong, then adjust their routines if something needs to be changed.
• Another thing you can try is a warm bath to calm the baby down. Just make sure that the water isn’t too hot and check on them often.
• If your baby loves listening to music then turn it onto very low volume and play some soft tunes or even classical music to calm them down.
• If you think that your baby is hungry then feed them, but don’t assume that it’s the only reason they’re crying. Also, try feeding them before bedtime to help calm them down.
• Take each baby as an individual and treat them like one. The way our parents raised us may not work the same for our babies.
• If you think that your baby is in pain or they’ve bumped their head then rush them to the hospital while keeping them calm.
• Make sure you know if there’s anything wrong with your baby before giving them any medicine because it may not be best for them. So consult with your doctor if you are unsure.
• If it seems like nothing else is working to stop the baby from crying, then take a nap with them or lay down in their crib beside them until they fall back asleep.

The conclusion!!

However, there are many different things you can do to get your child’s attention. But ultimately, the most important thing is just being there for them. When they feel loved and secure, chances are high that any tears will be dried up in no time at all.  It can be difficult and frustrating, but sometimes all it takes is a little patience, the right moves from our end, or maybe just a change of scenery that will help them feel better.

We hope that you found our list of thirteen best ways to make a baby stop crying both informative and helpful. If none of these things work then seek medical attention as soon as possible because there might be an underlying issue going on with your child at which point they need their pediatrician’s expertise, respectively.