These Tips Can Help You Cope with a Crying Baby

• While holding your baby with her head up and her feet down, rock and stop. Then rock and stop again. This usually will help her quiet down.

• Rock continuously with your baby lying across your lap. This may put her to sleep.

• Swaddle or wrap your baby in a warm, soft blanket with just her head uncovered.

• Burp your baby gently to see if an air bubble in her stomach is making her uncomfortable.

• Give her a pacifier. Sucking is soothing to many babies and helps them calm down.

• Cure diaper rash by leaving the diaper off and wrapping your baby loosely in a blanket. Powder her bottom with cornstarch instead of powder.

• Care for a crying baby in shifts. Take turns with your partner, a relative, or a friend so you can get a break.

Bathing a Baby

Baths can be given whenever it suits your schedule, but they are probably best before bedtime because baths can relax your baby and help him sleep.

The diaper area gets the dirtiest, so it should be washed with a wet washcloth several times a day. The face, neck, and hands should also be washed several times a day with a different cloth.

Give your baby a sponge bath until one week after the umbilical cord stump falls off. After that, you can give him either a tub or sponge bath.

Always stay with your child when bathing him. It is not safe to leave a child in the bathtub alone.

Bath time can be fun for you and your baby.

Back to Sleep

Put your baby on his back to sleep. This will help prevent breathing problems and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Do not use soft bedding materials such as waterbeds, soft mattresses, pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals. Your baby cannot move them if they happen to get on his face and he may not be able to breathe.

Use a firm mattress, and clothe your baby in a one-piece sleeper outfit to keep him warm while sleeping.

For more information on Back to Sleep and SIDS, go to the Kids Health Web site from the Nemours Foundation.