Babies cry and you are likely to spend quite some time trying to soothe your baby especially in the beginning.
The younger the baby, the harder it is to know why he is crying.
Why is this?
Well, you don't really know each other yet!
It may take a month or two before you know your baby enough to be able to interpret his cries correctly.
And even then you'll be clueless from time to time.
The time spent crying every day tends to peak when the baby is around six weeks. At this point in time it is normal to have a baby crying for around 2 hours a day in total.
If your baby is crying much more than this or if he is very hard to console, he might have colic. If you suspect colic, talk to a pediatrician.
If you think you know why our baby is crying, begin with fixing his problem - like if he is hungry, has dirty diapers or is tired.
But especially in the beginning, there will be many times when you simply won't be sure why your baby is crying.
New babies may feel much more secure if swaddled. Put him into a cotton blanket from neck and down. This will restrain his flaying limbs, which really can disturb an infant. Don't swaddle too tightly, only to help the baby be still.
At around six weeks, you may want to release one arm, so that he can find his mouth with his hand. This way he can start self-soothing by suckling.
If you are noy quite sure how to swaddle a baby, check the instructive video below.
As you will notice, breastfeeding is a great way to soothe a baby. You can also let him suckle a pacifier or your clean finger (with a very short finger nail).
Some say that the shh, shh sound resembles what the baby heard all day long in the womb. This might be why shushing is so efficient.
If you're baby is crying very loudly, it might be hard to use this tip though. In such case first try another method and then, when the baby starts to become calmer, start shushing.
