Disclaimer: Image is from pixabay.com and edited by me.
Reminder/Disclosure: I am not a health professional. My experience is due to me being a second time mother and I am just sharing my opinion and methods that I have tried twice in a row or more, and they have worked! Please do not live by this list. If there is something more than these wrong with your little one, go to health professional. Always go to a health professional if you have questions! I cannot be held responsible for anything you try from this list.
1. Check these first:
- Soiled diaper: Has your little one soiled their diaper? This could be one of the main reasons as to why he or she is fussy or won’t settle down.
- Hungry: If they haven’t soiled their diaper they could very easily be hungry.
- Exhausted: If they have already fed they could be exhausted or just a little tired.
- Fighting it: If they are over tired they may have a tendency to fight going to sleep, so it will leave you wondering whether there is some other underlying problem.
2. Rock-a-bye-baby: Your baby may enjoy being rocked. There are multiple ways of rocking your baby, trust me, I’ve tried them all!
- Road trip: Take your baby on a quick road trip in their car seat. The movement of the vehicle has a tendency of soothing them.
- Rocking them in your arms: Back and forth like a swing, while they are cradled in your arms on their back.
- Place them on your chest: Rock them in a rocking chair.
- Stand and lightly bounce them: Pat their back at the same time, this always works for my baby girl.
- Baby Swing: If you have a baby swing, that could always work as well.
3. Attention: There is a huge possibility that your baby wants your attention. If he or she is not tired, or may be a little tired, they will definitely want some of your attention.
- Talk to them: Whether it means you talk to them in a gentle voice, try to get them to smile or even read them a book, this may help soothe them. Although for only a little while, it will help take the edge off of their fussy moments.
- Play music: You can also play some soft music in the background. I’ve noticed lullabies work very well.
- Sing to them: Whether or not you have a beautiful voice, they know and recognize the sound, it will help soothe them.
4. Quiet Time: Has your baby been passed back and forth between family members? How about keeping them awake for more than a couple hours with toys and television or just giving them too much attention? These can all contribute to a very fussy baby. A few of my family members were over a week ago and my little one became very fussy and no matter what I tried, she would not stop. Once they left and after I checked all the necessary precautions such as soiled diaper, hunger, etcetera, she passed right out in my arms. Too much attention can be a huge mess for your baby. This could even include too many car rides. My little one hates car rides so when we do leave the house to go places, she manages to become over-whelmed with the places we go to.
5. Just You: I have a little seat that I place in the kitchen when I have to cook food or clean dishes. My toddler usually entertains her, but when she’s not available to do that I have noticed my baby likes to watch me. Or your baby wants as much skin to skin contact with you as possible.
6. Change Clothing: Your baby may have sensitive skin or just be very uncomfortable in the outfit he or she is wearing. They could be itchy, or over heated. Cold can effect them as well so make sure their skin feels normal. Check their temperature just in case!
Remember, you and your baby are still getting to know one another. Your baby also can sense if you are upset or frustrated so just breathe and realize that your emotions could be causing your baby to be fussy. You got this, parent. It’s not easy being a parent, so take your time and cherish your little ones while they are still young!
These are really great tips for new parents. Very helpful. Great post!
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Thank you! I hope this helps a lot of parents out there, old and new!
Very good tips. I used to softly stroke my son’s ear to calm him.
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Thank you. I used to do the same thing to my nephew when he was a baby. It was the only way it would calm him down.
Ha, there is always a sweet spot the babies like to sit and watch us, isn’t there? I forgot about that one!
Absolutely! This is almost the only way I can get anything done in the kitchen. She loves to watch me move around and get things taken care of.
Great tips! Although my preferred method is to hand the child back to his or her mother!
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That’s another good way to calm a fussy baby!
These are all great tips, it’s been a long time since I have had an infant and I’m also not ready for grandchildren yet, but still great tips.
These are some great tips for new parents. My daughters always liked to be walked around and sung to .
Thanks for all the tips! It can be so frustrating with little ones when they are too small to communicate. Also, for some reason, singing Frère Jacques always seems to work like a charm!
That’s so true! It can be very frustrating, especially to first time parents. I never thought of singing that song to my little one, I will have to try that. Thank you!
Thanks for the great tips, I enjoyed reading your post.
Thank you for stopping by and reading!
I breastfed so sometimes just that closeness settles them down, I swaddled, wore slings, anything to keep him feeling safe and secure. Babies dont like it out in the open. They feel best warm and snuggled. Now, if you have a sick baby or one thats soiled, just fix the problem. I never dealt with colic so cant say. Just keep them close is my addition. 🙂 Thanks for asking and letting me share.
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Thank you so much for those tips! I breastfeed as well and I will admit having them close does comfort them a lot. Swaddling is very helpful as well. Thank you for adding!
Very well put. This is really good advice. Since babies only way of communicating is crying, it’s important to check a number of things. Thanks.
These are some good ideas. I think though that a Mom just naturally knows what to do with her child when it is hurting. Its nature.
Great tips…I used many of them years ago when my kids were babies. I always found holding them close & rocking usually worked.
These are very good tips. It is very frustrating when you cannot calm a fussy baby. I find that gently kissing a baby on the forehead can calm them as well.
These are really great tips for new parents. I would rock my baby in the rocking chair when she was crying.
I loved reading this! And thank you to everyone for such great comments, I got a lot of tips from those too. Breastfeeding and holding my daughter close was the best way to comfort her. And swaddling was a lifesaver!
I totally agree, holding my daughter close has definitely helped while breastfeeding!
Great tips and I remember the days. Mine are a bit older now and my cousin is just starting with her first one next month. Will share your tips with her
The best way I calm my niece down when she’s crying is talking to her and if she’s still crying I take off her shoe and rub her foot against the cat. She stops immediately and then wants to play with the cat.
That is so awesome that the cat calms her down! Wish it was that easy for my little one.
Thank you for all these tips, I will keep them in mind when our first little one arrives. As a volunteer in our church nursery, we can usually calm fussy babies, unless the thing they are fussing about is lack of mom :/ all the clean diapers, full bellies, and quiet rocking in the world won’t stop the fussing baby who just wants mom. Luckily, it’s rare we have a baby who can’t be soothed for an hour or so.
I believe I may have tried everything at least once on this list. I had a colic baby and it seemed like there was no end in sight. Then one day I called a Dr friend of the family. He told me to cradle baby belly down with a hand placed on her belly applying a little bit of pressure and sway with her while standing up. It worked wonders!!
Great tips! When I was a nanny, I cared for a baby who liked to be sort of bounced in my arms (or rather, for me to bounce as I held him). He also liked to be walked around the house while I held him — he’d cry if I sat down with him, but as long as I was up and moving he was happy!
I notice the same thing with my daughter! My first one was never like that but this one definitely is. It’s exhausting at night but at least it gets her to sleep. There are so many other methods I can try but she’s breastfeeding, so it’s hard for her to sleep all night when she’s hungry every couple of hours. Thank you for your tip!
Oh boy do I remember the days of having a fussy baby. I actually did a lot of these tips. They worked for me.
Great tips! Gassyness could be one too! I have liked to keep gas drops on hand for that. I defintely think that overstimulation can sometimes make baby grumpy! It seems that if baby gets a lot of sleep, baby is happiest!
These are really great tips. My older son had an issue with gas and eating too fast. I wish I had the list when my sons were babies! Thanks!
Great list of things to try. It can be such a frustrating issue. Want to make it okay, and not sure where to start. This will help.
Isn’t it fun– you carry this sweet little angle for approx. nine months, and you still have to get to know each other. Your tips are so helpful. Even on the second child , things can be so different from the first. Thanks for the review of thing that could be’s and what to do.
I know with our Catherine, she hated being swaddled,it made her fight,she just never likes her arms bound. But she love to be up on a shoulder and a blanket over her eyes. As I said each is so different
I am a first time mom and a single mom as well. My son is now 8 months old and he had severe colic and I thought I was going to die. Now that we have gotten through it things are so much better for us although he STILL hates to sleep. My swing has literally saved my life. He loves it, he calms down in it and best of all he sleeps in it!
My best advice to a new parent would be: Never wake a sleeping baby, for any reason, no matter how big and how old your baby becomes. Even is they are 40 or 50……. Never wake someone up.
Wonderful tips! I remember rocking my son in the rocker for hours. It was calming for both of us.
These are such good suggestions! It is also good to go ahead and calm yourself, too. Even if the baby is fussy, go ahead and take the minute to go to the bathroom or fill up your coffee cup. That way, you will be calm to calm the baby.
And don’t forget to check for gas at first too. Sometimes that will make for a very cranky baby.
Great tips. Talking to a baby is the most memorable joys of life
Thank you for the great tips! I enjoyed reading these!
I’ve never been blessed with these problems. I’m sure they’re good tips.
This baby so very cute
These are some great ideas. If you have a fussy baby, you can use all the ideas you can get!
The article you wrote on 5+ Ways To Calm A Fussy Baby is a great tool for new parents. I wish that when I had my first child I had something like this that was short and comprehensive to get me through those hard moments. This is great advice that you have given and I especially like your phrase, “Remember, you and your baby are still getting to know one another.”
I like to sing to a fussy baby, also rocking always helps a lot, a drive in the car, or a trip outside in the stroller, have always worked for me.
Yes, Singing helps too! My daughter hates car rides. I don’t think she likes to be tied down apparently. Movement is excellent.
very good tips for new moms… i always put my boys in the swing and moved to wear they could see me while doing chores…this helped with them seeing me and always seemed to sooth them
Yes, swings are always perfect! And even better when they can see you, that’s for sure.
This is nice to know thanks for the info
Great advice especially for new parents too helping them cope with a new little one in the family can be difficult for some. I had a sick son and he loved to be rocked when his tummy hurt which was everyday. We bought a recliner that rocked and he just loved it and so did we.
First you check first for a soiled diaper then see if he or she is hungry if not walk back and forth that usually helps.
Thanks so much for the great tips. I have a 2 month old…he doesn’t get fussy often but any advice is always appreciated!
thanks for the info, sounds great
This is a super tough one, I went through 2 collach’y ( I know I speeled that wrong sorry..lol!!) I would put my little one’s in the car in their seat and drive them around the block and it worked like magic…the swing would work until in those days you had to wind them up. Remeber when it stopped and you wound it up and they jumped like crazy…arghhH!!!!
Great tips for soothing a baby. I think one of the main things is the less obvious one. That is to see if maybe they are hot or just simply uncomfortable in their clothes. Thanks for sharing. Pay attention new mommies 😉
These are great tips and very helpful!
Each child is different. The first is especially frightening. You can read all the books and still be unprepared. I made the mistake of rocking them to sleep and rubbing their backs. Looking back, I should have let them fall asleep on their own, after knowing that they were fed, dry…
Who hasn’t had a fussy baby! These are wonderful tips for the new Mom dealing with this problem. We have used many of the tips in the past
I have tried a couple of these and they really work! I will be sharing this for some of my friends who are expecting because I know it can be hard when you are new at it!
My daughter was colicky. I felt sorry for her. I remember crying along with her in the middle of the night.I agree with Richard. All babies are fussy. They outgrow it. Just try to keep your sanity and sleep when they do, if possible.
Great tips!
I don’t like the idea of a road trip because it starts a bad habit
There are few things more annoying than a screaming child in a public place. I know it happens to all of us. If you can’t calm the child down leave the room. They may be over stimulated and need a quieter spot.
I wish I had good advice when my daughter was a baby. She had colic for the first three months. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the great tips. My granddaughter needs to read this.
I don’t have any kids , so I no nothing about this. The tips sound really good to me. I remember my mom telling me she would take me for car rides sometimes when I was too fussy. She said it helped.
Thanks for there view good
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Fussy babies are always a challenge. Parents can use lots of great ideas to try.
these are great tips. my son had colic and I thought I would lose my mind.
I remember when my daughter was little and would get upset. It was always either because she was hungry or tired. She was such an easy baby.
Wonderful check lists. I would sometimes stroke my son’s eye brows. It helped to sooth him.
I’m sure every parent has had a fussy baby from time to time. We can all use some great new ideas. This post is very helpful.
This is helpful. I may be revisiting it in a couple of weeks when I have a newborn AND a toddler to care for. 🙂
Three things worked mostly with my kids (when there weren’t any apparent issues). The baby swing, a ride in the car and holding them tightly while rocking them. I remember having some very long and frustrating nights.
One of the results of the current ‘civilized’ way of life is that many people (men and women both) grow up with no real interaction with children, especially babies. Although those comments are very pertinent, they are also largely common sense, and it is a little discouraging to realize that they have to be pointed out as possibilities to so many new parents.
Great tips. Rocking, swinging and road trips seemed to always work with our kids. Another suggestion is to have calm soothing music playing.
What wonderful tips! My daughters could get so fussy when they were newborns. It really helped to sit in the bathroom with the bathroom fan running. It calmed them down.
I’m going to be babysitting my niece a lot this summer, and this post just gave me a lot of helpful tips!!!
thanks for the advice for dealing with a fuzzy baby. I know from experience how hard they can be
Great Tips! My daughter was the best baby ever! She made everything so easy!
These are great ideas. It is sometimes hard to calm a fussy baby. It is great to have some new ideas to consider.
thanks for the info, sounds like great info. I will try them next time
I think these are all really good tips! I was very lucky that my daughter was such an easy baby! I like the singing approach!
I think that the tips are good. I think the driving around til baby falls asleep is a great idea.
a swing always worked for us. i don’t recall seeing swings around too much anymore? wondering if they are deemed not safe? i hope not!
Thank you!great tips!will be best for the new parents
Very helpful, but note sometimes there could be another issue. At about 3 or 4 weeks of age, my son started becoming very fussy, especially at night, and crying non-stop no matter what we did out of the above list. He had other issues too, he was gassy, constipated, had baby acne. At his 6 week appointment we told the doctor and he actually was lucky (haha) enough to see one of his discolored bowel movements. The doctor realized my son had a milk protein allergy and recommended a hypoallergenic formula. We switched and within 24 hours he was better, and 48 hours after we started using it he was a new baby! No more random crying, the acne cleared up, he hasn’t been gassy or constipated since and he’s now 3. The good news is most babies grow out of this allergy by the time they’re a year old. The doctor had us wean him off the hypoallergenic formula to a regular one around 9 months old and he had no issues afterwards.
Oh my. Yes, there can always be another reason as to why the baby is fussing. Not all of these are helpful, and the baby may have other problems that need to be addressed by a Doctor. I’m so sorry you had to go through that! At least it was taken care of quickly. I highly recommend the baby going to a Doctor to take care of any issues that may arise.
Thanks for the great tips and advice. I do not have children yet but this is something to remember in the future.
These are all very helpful tips. I think sometimes when a baby is breastfed they sometimes want to use it to self soothe. They may not be hungry, but my granddaughter would still want to suckle when she was very upset, and sometimes this was the only thing that would calm her.
the kids now a day love to be rock i have 2 of them for that reason when i baby sit and then when the little one come over and then i can keep them quite and then if all fail take a car ride
These are really great suggestions. My kids liked being worn and white noise!
Very Valuable information thank you. I find with Catherine it can be just about anything– sometimes its just hold me snuggle me,and sometimes its I just so tired of all the darn people lets go home..lol She can be very demanding at times
i think you were spot on,, My oldest was the car ride and daddy baby to calm him, daughter was mommy or swing.. and the youngest I think was probably the easiest even though he is the insomniac like me still to this day at age 15..lol
It’s often so easy to overlook something simple because you stress out over a crying baby. The last thing you said resonates with me- keep yourself calm because babies feel your anxiety and it just upsets them more.
These are great tips for new moms. My favorite was the good old rocking chair, my youngest daughter would always wake up crying even though she was fed, clean diaper, etc . We would rock in the chair for about 10 minutes and she’d be fast asleep again.
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We hold our daughter tight to our chest and bounce in a yoga ball until shes out still at 1 year it still works!
That is such a good idea! Thank you for the suggestion.
I’m a new single parent, so thank you for this info! It’s reassuring!
Great post! I have a baby and I find all these techniques and tips to be true! Great job!
Thank you! I hope it helps other parents who may be struggling.
Great tips! I just had my 3rd & I’m still trying to figure out how to calm my LOs. Definitely going to keep this list handy, so next time I can go down & make sure I’ve tried everything before giving up & having a break down.
I appreciate that! I didn’t have a list like this so I figured I would make one for other parents who may be struggling. Hope it helps!
i always tried changing my kids clothing. both my boys hated anything with a tag on it.
wonderful tips. i will have my friends with new borns read it!
Thank you! I hope it benefits her just as much as it helped me!
These are all such simple suggestions, but it’s easy to feel like you are at the end of your rope when you have an upset baby. It’s important to try all of these little things!
My colicky baby immediately stopped crying whenever I took her in the water. I eventually got a water wrapsody baby wrap so I could wear her in the shower.
Simple suggestions but so many brand new parents might not know . I remember when mine were young always wondering. Babies are each so different, but the checklist is almost the same. I think sometimess they just like to hear themselves too, (not so much crying but making noises) and want to interact.
Absolutely. These are very simple, especially since every baby is different and may have other reasons that they are crying, that not every baby has. Babies love to hear themselves talk or fuss of course!
When I hear a baby crying, I always think it could be all of the above situations you have described. You can, especially, check out the #1 comments, as well as the others. This is very informative to new mothers, and relatives. Great advice.
I agree, all of the comments are perfect as far as the suggestions go! I appreciate the comment. Thank you for stopping by!
Great tips, and a very comprehensive list. Sometimes it feels like there is nothing you can do. Thanks for giving me more ideas.
I remember those days. This is a great list! I hope it can help people dealing with the baby years. I know this would have been helpful if I had seen it a few years ago.
Those were good tips for soothing a baby, And, what didn’t work one time may work at a different. I don’t think anyone will get you in trouble for those 🙂 Some of the back in the day remedies would be a different story.
Great list. Perfect for the first time parent to have on hand until they get into the swing of their new life with their new gift and family member.
Thank you! Yes, it is very helpful to have some tips before you get the swing of things.
Im glad that Im a grandma now and get to do all the fun things! I tell my kids that setting a schedule as soon as they are born is a must.
These are great tips for soothing the baby. This is a great site to help out especially first time mothers like myself. I come here when i need advice or just when i have free time or a break to check things out i love this site its informative and interesting
This is a great list of things to do when your baby is unhappy. I like the step by step “checking to see what the possible problem could be.” I especially like the “pay attention and to the baby advice.”
Great article,great tips every parent needs to be aware of with a newborn/infant.I remember my little girl was fussy and tried a lot of different things and finally 2 different things worked and she slept well for me.
I never would of thought of change clothing and I’m a gramma now. Good advice
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Great article. I wish I had this information when I had my twins 24 years ago today!! YUP, my twins are 24 today. I am going to pass this information along to my daughter who just had a baby. I know that the baby is doing a lot better right now, but I think they go thru spurts. I think this will help her when that spurt comes. Thank you!!
Oh my! Twin boys sound like a handful. 24 years and going strong, I’m sure. Congrats on the new arrival and I hope these tips work for her!
Rubbing their hair
Awesome tip. Yes, rubbing their hair or head gently can soothe a fussy baby.
will have to share this with my grand-daughter who is having a baby girl in july, this is her first baby and i know she needs all the tips she can get.
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I hope the tips help! Congrats on the soon to be new arrival.
I am so thankful we are out of the baby stage. These are great tips for any new mom or dad out there!
I used to babysit lots. One thing I did sometimes is find a kids show on tv (Sesame Street, Boohbah, Teletubbies, any with bright colors) and turn it on for a little while. the baby seemed interested in the colors and sounds. Also my sister would take the bay for a ride in the car because it usually made them fall asleep.
I think not knowing what is wrong is the worst part of being a parent to a newborn/baby. I always just want to fix what is wrong. Great list of ideas.
Thanks for the refresher list. I’m having my third with a 17 year gap and it’s like starting over again.
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I put my kids in the carrier whenever they get fussy!! 🙂
Great idea!
All really great tips! It can be very frustrating not knowing why a little one is crying. But a great post for first time mommies and daddies to read. I will be sharing.
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Thank you! Yes, I know how it feels to not have tips and help in the beginning. I hope these help someone eventually!
you covered them all! luckily my son is very easy to read and can tell right away whats wrong.
Great tips for parents, My baby would cry for more attention. It can be very hard to just hold the baby all day long when you also have a toddler at home. I ended up buying a carrier so I could be hands free.
Yes, some babies do cry to either hear themselves cry or to get attention. It’s hard to hold a baby when you have a toddler, I know that much!
these are great tips i remember using some of these great tips when my kids where fuzzy ty for sharing
After a couple years go by without kids screaming, I miss it. But on the dime of it, I would do just about anything to keep the kids happy and not have them fussy.
Thanks for this great tips. I’m actually due with my 2nd baby boy any day now and I also have a toddler at home so I’ve been wondering what to do when baby gets fuzzy and I’m also with my toddler. I like your tip of what you already do which is putting your baby in a chair where he can see you and where my older child can also be there and entertain him. i like that idea because it’ll help my older boy feel important as well 🙂
Congrats! Good luck.. so far it’s been a blast with my daughter who is four and my four month old. However, it does get difficult as the day goes on. It’s very energy draining. It works wonders when you have a place to put the baby safely while your toddler can watch him or her, and you can get things done. They feel awesome too because they can help you with your little one, and they feel included.
These are great tips. I never thought about clothing potentially making a child fussy – everyone tries to dress them up so they are cute, without really thinking about clothing having the potential to irritate a child.
Oh absolutely. Some clothing may bother a child, or they can be allergic to the detergent. It’s hard to figure out what is bothering a child until you subtract and add certain things to find it.
This reminds me so much of my oldest daughter, she was always so fussy.
Each child is different and you have to find out what works for that child and yourself.
I always found turning them over my lap on their tummy was helpful, because most of the fussiness is caused by gas.
I have already raised my kids but your tips sound very helpful for mothers who have fussy babies.
That is so true! Every baby is different. These tips may not work for some moms, but for others they may be just the thing.