Open Discussion Forum

  • 1.  calming crying young infants

    Posted 02-05-2019 09:15 PM
    Hello everyone,
     Does anyone have any good ideas on how to calm a very young crying infant. We have six week olds and when they first start crying is all they do unless they are being held. We do not have swings and they can only sit in bouncy seats for fifteen minutes at a time. We do hold them but they want to be held the entire day. They do eventually get adjusted but it is really hard until they do. Any help would be appreciated.
    Joyce Wilkinson

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    Joyce Wilkinson
    Training and Curriculum Specilist
    Goodfellow AFB
    San Angelo TX
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  • 2.  RE: calming crying young infants

    Posted 02-06-2019 10:56 AM
    I have a simple answer that you might not want to hear ---hold the baby.  Maybe you can find some grandparents to come and sit in a rocking chair for part of the day.  When my oldest grandson started daycare this is what he had.  It was lovely.  Now I am a grandparents, sitting and holding a baby sounds amazing.  Hope this helps.  We need to observe the needs of the child.  The crying infant is telling you something important...so listen to him/her.
    Deb​

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    Deborah Schein
    instructor and consultant
    Minneapolis MN
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  • 3.  RE: calming crying young infants

    Posted 02-09-2019 07:48 PM
    Great Day,

    Hope this finds you well. I agree with the previous response, that if a baby is crying correct they are trying to tell you something since they are so young, they can't talk yet, point, walk, or crawl so to get attention or what they need they cry. There could be many reasons, the child could have collic, hungry, wet, sick, needing attention, missing there parents/parent, or just wanting to be held, gasy ,etc. At this young age you are right because this is a time for bonding this may occur. You may want to try volunteers, asking the family to bring in a favorite toy, blanket, or something like a t-shirt that has the parents/parent scent on it. 

    Hope this helps.


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    Cassandra Ray
    Southfield MI
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  • 4.  RE: calming crying young infants

    Posted 02-11-2019 09:45 AM
    With our first infant my wife and I quickly came to a time that we couldn't get his crying stopped. We had checked every;thing we could think of about his possible needs. We held him tight, carried him around, sang to him. Nothing worked. We were in a housing project and there was a grandmother next door to us. We sought her help. She put our baby on her shoulder and the crying stopped. She wasn't anxious. We were. We did better after discovering that it was the anxiety expressed in our bodies that could cause distress in our son.

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    Jack Wright
    Child Development Consultant
    Success With Children
    St Ignatius MT
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  • 5.  RE: calming crying young infants

    Posted 02-13-2019 09:07 AM

     

     

    I know from experience it can be difficult to incorporate the needs of one so young into the routines of a center. I purchased strap on infant carriers for staff which allowed us the opportunity to carry small infants yet keep hands free for mobile infant needs.

    For some young infants - the noise, the lights, the activity can be overwhelming. Try a few room changes and observe if any help comfort the child. Try placing the child in a low light area, or just using natural light versus ceiling fluorescents, try a white noise sound like ocean waves or heartbeat rhythm, or try to separate activity into a noisy section and a quiet section of the playroom. I have also found it best to tell young infants what they are going to experience beforehand, such as "I am going to pick you up now" "This will be a cold wipe on your bum, ready" or "we are going into a noisy place now, brace yourself, ready here we go."

    These may be things you have already tried. Hope you find a solution that works best for all.

    Marisa Folse

    Learning & Edu-Care

    Tehachapi, CA