Soothe Your Newborn By Discovering The Difference Between His or Her Crying Styles

“Babies are just so perfectly innocent!” you can hear your mother-in-law saying. “Life is all sunshine and rainbows once you have this sweet creature in your life.” The truth of the matter is, you have been trying not to pull your hair out every night. While sweet and adorable to everyone else, babies are a major challenge for the people who actually live with them: the parents. Hours of listening to your baby cry makes one thing quite clear. Babies are extremely demanding. You’ll think you’ve met their needs, and then a moment later the fussing starts up again. What is the answer for getting through the tough times?

The obvious answer is just to be as patient as you can. Babyhood is a trying time, for both babies and parents, but keep in mind that it is temporary. Do your best to get to know your baby’s personality, so that you can tell what he or she needs. When you can discern the difference between hunger cries, tired cries, and just plain fussy cries, you can respond accordingly. This can be a daunting task, especially for first-time parents. Listen closely when your baby cries, and pay attention to what specifically calms the fussing. Never forget how you calmed your baby’s frayed nerves; if it was by wrapping in receiving blankets or something else, make a note of it.

Learning what baby needs to calm down is something that mothers tend to excel at. Like it or not, fathers do not have the same “motherly intuition” in this area. This is the benefit of having both a father and a mother! Mothers, you can help your husbands feel more involved by sharing what you have learned about your baby’s attempts at communication. Communicate with your husband when you learn some things that work for soothing your infant; he may begin to feel more confident when he has some tricks up his sleeve for calming baby. If you still haven’t learned how to use baby blankets, now is the time for both of you. Now if your mother-in-law visits and intones, “Look at that perfect little baby!” you and your husband can share a smile, and agree.