One of the biggest questions new expecting parents have is, “What are the best ways to soothe my baby?” When a baby cries, they are sending a message: They need something and they need your help to get it. A baby might be hungry, and need food, they might be cold and need warmth, they might feel uncomfortable and need a diaper change, or be tired and need sleep. You will learn your baby’s cries, and you will become an expert at figuring out how to best meet your baby’s needs.
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Oftentimes, it’s a process of elimination, and the first step is soothing. So how do you soothe a crying baby? As a mother of 3 babies, and a newborn photographer who soothes babies in every session, I follow the “Ss”: Swaddling, Shhhing , Swinging, and Sucking. Pediatrician and author, Harvey Karl, M.D., wrote about the Ss in his book, “The Happiest Baby on the Block,” a great read for all first time parents.
Swaddling: Babies love to be swaddled. I always start every newborn photoshoot with swaddled poses. Why? Because babies feel cozy, warm and comfortable when they are swaddled. They feel safe and snuggly, swaddled like they were used to feeling in the womb. Occasionally, a parent will say, “My newborn doesn’t like to be swaddled,” but then they watch me swaddle their baby and the baby drift off to sleep, and they are always amazed. Trust me, it works. There are a plethora of swaddle options out there. Go to a baby store and check them out, or research online and try a few to see what you and your baby like best.
“Shhhing” Sounds: A constant, droning “shhhing” sound does wonders for calming a crying baby. The womb is full of sounds, a mother’s heartbeat, the rushing of blood, muffled sounds from outside of the uterus like a mother or father’s voice. This is a cool video emulating the sounds in utero that a baby might be hearing. White noise like “shushing” creates a blanket of sound for baby reminiscent of the womb environment and can help baby feel safe and calm. I love the baby shusher in my studio, and lots of parents often tell me it is lulling them to sleep too!
Swinging: Swinging, swaying, or gentle bouncing all work great to calm a baby. I swayed with my babies so much, I remember catching myself swaying at times I was not holding a baby! I know I’m not the only one. In my photography studio, I use an exercise ball, that helps lull fussy babies into relaxation. I also swaddle them and sway with them to soothe them. For my own babies, I had a baby swing that reliably swung them all into dreamland for their naps.
Sucking: Sucking is a huge baby soother! Babies like to suck, it’s a basic survival instinct and it’s comforting. At home, babies will suck when they nurse or on bottles when they feed, they will suck on pacifiers, their fingers or baby toys. Some baby “experts” tell new parents not to give a baby a pacifier because it will disrupt latching, or cause problems with baby’s oral development. That may be true. I had twins and I needed them to learn how to soothe themselves (without me at all hours of the night), so there was a time during that first year when each of my twins were surrounded by roughly 20 pacifiers each in their cribs. My hope was that if they woke up and threw out their arm in agitation, they would find a pacifier, insert it and soothe themselves back to sleep with the aid of that sucking. It worked! No judgment please. When I’m photographing newborns, I ask parents to bring a pacifier and tell them they are welcome to nurse or bottle feed, sometimes just to top baby off or give them some comfort during the session. If parents do not want to use a pacifier, they don’t need to, but it is a tool that can be helpful in a pinch. My studio is a breast friendly zone, and boobs are always welcome!
Believe it or not, soothing your baby will become second nature. I hope these tips help!