How to comfort your crying newborn
Of course, when your newborn cries, you want to comfort them. It’s not possible to spoil a baby by comforting them too much, On the contrary, responding to your baby crying will teach them that they are listened to and makes it more likely that over time, they will cry less as your baby will learn to trust you. You must find out for yourself the best way to comfort your baby, as every baby is different. However, two factors that are very important in calming your baby down are rhythm and warmth. Remember it’s usually more effective to comfort your baby with an activity you usually do when they’re in a good mood. Also, many babies like to hear and feel your heartbeat. Hold your newborn upright against you, holding their bottom with one arm, rest their head against your shoulder and support the head with your other arm. You can then stroke or cradle your baby, walk around with them and/or talk, sing or hum to them.
My newborn won’t stop crying: the witching hour
Between the ages of three and twelve weeks, many newborns (and their parents) experience a daily ‘witching hour’ of continual crying. This is most likely when they are six weeks old. Usually, parents can predict when the witching hour is about to arrive as 85% of babies have a period of restlessness just before the witching hours begins. The crying fit usually ends after 1-2 hours, although it can last longer for some babies. The witching hour usually strikes in the afternoon or the evening as at this time, babies have more new experiences to process after the day’s activities. Newborns process these experiences by crying, usually at the end of the day. And here’s the good news: once they grow out of the witching-hour phase, they usually sleep better and for longer.
