Calming down your baby when he/she is crying can be quite stressful. However, when the baby notices that you are stressed out, he/she can cry harder and for longer. This is why it is important to remain calm when the baby is crying. Keep reading for some efficient ways on how to calm yourself when the baby is crying.
1. Take a deep breath
Take deep breaths through your nose and let the air through the mouth. This will help you in relaxing and relieving any stress that may have built up due to the baby’s cries. When taking these breaths, it is advisable that replicate the breathing rhythm you have while sleeping. This helps in calming down a crying baby particularly if you are holding the baby close to your chest.
2. Listen to music
Music not only soothes a crying baby but can also help you calm down when the baby is crying. The best thing about music is that it drifts your mind and attention away from the crying baby and enables you to focus on calming yourself. When using music to relax, ensure that you opt for a song that has a soothing tone and rhythm. Music that is too noisy will have very little effect on you or the baby as it is not comforting or relaxing at all.
3. Take a break
Sometimes your baby’s cry can be very irritating and can make your head feel like exploding. When these cries make you reach such a point, it is advisable to take a break and go for a little stroll in the backyard. This walk will create a much-needed distraction that will enable your mind to clear up before strategizing on how to make the cries stop. When taking the break, keep the baby in a safe and secure place where he/she can’t fall, preferably in his/her crib.
4. Take turns to take care of the baby with your partner or a helper
If there is someone with you at home who can help you in taking care of the baby, it is advisable to let them attend to the baby for a while as you cool down. When you have ensured that the baby is safe with the other person, you can engage in different activities including taking a shower, sitting in the shade to meditate, taking a walk in the neighborhood, or taking a catnap. Ideally, the activity of choice should help you clear your mind. You should only go back to the baby when you are calm and ready to handle the baby.
5. Turn off the lights
If it is at night, turning off the lights will do magic for both you and the baby in terms of allowing you both to relax and calm down. Darkness will create confusion for the baby and he/she may even quit crying at once. On the other hand, it will help you visualize and imagine creative ways you can use to distract yourself. Additionally, the baby’s silence due to the darkness will help you revamp your mind thus enabling you to calm down.
6. Do simple physical exercises
Engaging in simple physical exercises such as sit-ups, push-ups, or jogging will help relieve the stress and tension caused by the cries of the baby. These exercises are also beneficial in ensuring that you maintain the right body physique especially because they help you to keep fit. Exercising for about 10-20 minutes will go a long way in boosting your morale to handle a crying baby. With regular exercise, it becomes possible to be more tolerant of a baby’s cry even when it is overly irritating.
7. Address the basics
Sometimes, the easiest way to calm yourself when the baby is crying is by addressing the basics of baby care. Maybe the baby is feeling hungry, needs to be burped, or needs a nappy change to stop crying. Checking these basics will most likely calm the baby thereby relieving you the repetitive stress caused by a baby’s continued cry. Perhaps, if you give the baby a little more attention, he/she will quit crying and start giggling thereby allowing you to crack into a laugh and consequently enabling you to calm down.
8. Buy a laugh track
When you notice that your baby has a particular time when he/she likes crying, you should have a laugh track to keep yourself busy with at that time. Laughter provides an efficient reprieve from stress and uncomfortable emotions. The laugh track of choice should be enjoyable and may include your favorite music or comic tracks to help you calm faster and easily. Laugh tracks shift your attention and concentration from anxious and depressing feelings and allow you to focus on feelings that make you feel happy. The relaxation necessitated by these tracks will also help you to address the needs of crying baby with a better and a more relaxed approach.
9. Recite a silent mantra or saying
Everyone has that unique saying that they say to themselves whenever they are stressed out or are feeling nervous. This silent saying or mantra will help in insulating your mind from stress and enable you to remain calm when the baby is crying. For a mantra to have a lasting calming effect on you, it should be a really special saying; something with deep meaning for you.
10. Recall a beautiful memory
Taking a trip down the memory lane can help you greatly with relaxing and calming down when a baby’s cry has become too much. Beautiful memories will make you smile and remember the joy that the memories bring to you. This will help you forget the baby’s cry for a second and make it easy for you to handle the crying baby with a newfound relaxation.
It is wrong to feel agitated by a baby’s cry and do nothing to relieve the agitation and stress. This is because such emotions can hinder you from handling the baby properly and appropriately. If not attentively holding the baby, he/she can slip out of your hands resulting in a fall. Never attend to a baby unless your mind is solely focused on taking care of the baby. Distractions can have grave consequences on the well-being of the baby.
