How to soothe a crying baby

All babies cry

When your baby is wailing, you may feel as if you're doing something wrong or that there has to be something that you can do to stop the crying. Unfortunately, that's often not the case. With their immature nervous systems, babies don't know any other way to wind down. Highly strung babies in exciting, intense households tend to cry more, but all infants go through periods of fussiness.

Rock the baby

Colicky, fussy babies like to be rocked, patted, danced or walked. So go ahead and try any (or all!) of these techniques when your baby is crying. Don't despair if nothing works straight away; it's not your fault!

Keep it together

Your baby's constant crying might make you very upset. No matter how upset you're feeling, do not shake your baby! If you start getting frustrated or angry, or feel as if you're losing control, put your baby down and take a quick break. Shaking an infant can cause bleeding in the brain, leading to permanent damage and even death. This is called 'Shaken Baby Syndrome' and is a very serious condition. So when you start to lose your cool, get someone else to deal with the baby – it'll do you both a lot of good.