Tried and true fixes for fussy babies

If you’re the parent of a new baby, you’ve probably received lots of advice from people on the best way to get a fussy baby to stop crying. But every child is different, and what worked for another child might not work for your child.

In addition to raising eight children, Dr. William Sears and his wife, Martha, have helped millions of parents through more than 40 pediatric books, articles in parenting magazines, and appearances on national television programs. Below are some of Dr. Sears’ best tips for quieting a fussy baby:

• Carry your baby in a sling or front carrier.
  
• Dance with or swing and sway with your baby.
  
• Take your baby for a car ride or push him or her in a stroller.
  
• Provide comfort with nursing or pacifiers.
  
• Put on some soothing music.
  
• Record and play back your baby’s own cries.
  
• Place your baby near the tick-tock of a clock or metronome
  or the swinging of a pendulum in a grandfather’s clock.
  
• Sing lullabies to your baby.
  
• Put a vibrating or humming gadget near your baby.
  
• Show your baby some “silly faces.”
  
• Give your baby an infant massage or a warm bath.
  
• Eliminate bothersome foods from your diet if you are breastfeeding.
  
• Consider changing your baby’s formula if you think that is a problem
  (talk to your child’s doctor about how to do this).
  
• Slow down your lifestyle and change your expectations.