Anyone who is a parent knows how anxious newborns can get. It does not take much for them to start crying and become hysterical.
If you do not have a strategy to calm down a newborn when they act like this, it could end up having a negative psychological effect on them. Not only that, but it will raise your stress levels considerably as well.
Sometimes there are environmental circumstances which cause a newborn to cry and get anxious. Other times, they may cry because they do not feel good or have had a bad dream.
As long as you are feeding your newborn at regular intervals, then you know it is not hunger that is causing their anxiousness.
Below are 5 simple ways to settle the anxiousness of most newborns. Some of these ways may be more effective than others. It all depends on the newborn and the specific reasoning behind their hysteria.
Go on a Walk with Your Child
Your child may need some good old-fashioned fresh air. Try going out for a walk while you push your child in a stroller. Make sure it is an all-weather stroller because they are able to endure most terrains and weather conditions.
If it is warm outside, you can roll up the seat bag to boost the air circulation for your child. And if it is cooler outside, you can roll down the seat pad to keep them warm. There is also a mini roof on top to protect your child from rainfall.
It is a great distraction for the baby to have new surrounds, seeing and hearing new sights. As a parent, I enjoyed getting out and about. Meeting people as you went for a walk is a great morale booster.
You may also have time to stop for a coffee or cup of tea and take some quiet chill time for yourself.
Swaddle the Baby
Newborn babies cry a lot initially because they are not used to being out of their mother’s womb. If you want to reduce their crying, try out a technique called swaddling.
This is where you wrap your baby’s body with a blanket so that it fits snugly around them.
Swaddling makes the baby feel like they are back in their mother’s womb, which is a comforting feeling to them. They may stop crying if you do this.
Take Them to a Quiet Room
We often live in busy environments with lots of different noises, smells, and people around us. All these elements tend to overstimulate babies when they are around them. Babies get uncomfortable very quickly if they are subjected to these elements.
So, you need to take them to a quiet place where there is less stimulation in the environment. This could be a quiet room or any place without to manyother people around.
If you live in a city and you cannot silence the noise in your environment, then try to create some white noise for your baby. Turn on a fan and let the white noise block out the other noises. Babies tend to react calmly to white noise.
Watch Your Own Diet
Newborns may develop stomach pains due to gas build-up in their guts. Since their digestive systems are not totally developed yet, they can develop gas from consuming breast milk.
If the mother eats certain foods that cause gas, these foods could get transferred to the baby through the mother’s breast milk. It does not take much gas for babies to develop horrible stomach pains.
Your doctor can confirm whether your diet is causing your baby pain. If it is, then you must change your own diet so that your baby is not affected in this way. Your doctor can advise you about which foods you should eat.
Pacifier
Babies like to suck on their thumbs because it is a habit they develop while in their mother’s womb. For an anxious newborn, give them a pacifier to suck on. It may cause them to feel soothed and relaxed.
Choosing different coloured pacifiers to make them more attractive for the baby.
There is no guarantee any of these methods will work. Every baby is individual and what works for one baby may not work another. Know that you are not the only parent who has a baby that is difficult to settle.
Every parent has their own experience of this. Chat to other parents and hear their suggestions for pacifying a crying baby. Attending a playgroup or the like is a great way to do this.
