Even though dads tend to be notorious for their inability to cope with their babies, this is not true in a great number of cases. On the contrary, many fathers have developed special tricks and tips when it comes to pacifying their crying baby. Some of these methods are not so unknown, but many are quite original and more than effective. Thus, without further ado, we present you a father's perspective on soothing a crying baby.
The Ground Rule
The first factor of being a good, caring father is keeping an open mind. Namely, learning what stops your baby from crying is not an easy task and it may require many trial and error sessions. Thus, some of the steps mentioned below may not work for you. However, do not give up – combine, experiment and add touches of your own. No baby comes with instruction manual. Thus, improvisation is the key, reflected through needs and desires of both you and your child.
Hush, Hush Baby
Once your baby starts crying restlessly, you need to find the reason behind this state of affairs, rather than deal with all the wrong things. For example, if your baby is teething, changing his/her diapers will not stop the crying.
If you cannot find out the reason behind the crying, try giving your pinky to the baby to suck on. Turn it upside down, so as not to scratch the roof of the baby's mouth. If this fails to calm your baby, offer him/her a warm bottle of breast milk or formula, since he/she may be thirsty or hungry.
Next, if the previous steps were not what the baby needed, try rocking and swinging. Babies love motion and movements. So, fathers, being strong and ready, can provide this, pacifying their babies this way. Moreover, as you rock and swing your baby, you will be getting some good exercise.
Sometimes, a dancing ritual may work, however strange this might sound. Take your baby in your hands and allow him/her to wrap his/her hands around your neck. Then, dance rhythmically, tapping your feet on the ground from time to time, chanting here and there. Additionally, you may incorporate a swing or two, for motion purpose. You will be surprised by the soothing powers of this ritual.
Finally, making yourself look stupid or awkward can help too. So, grimaces, funny scenes, acting, yelling, singing in a funny manner and many other such steps may work.
Nevertheless, you should try these steps only after you are sure that the baby is not hungry, wet, in pain or tired. In absence of these factors, if your baby still fails to calm down, let him/her cry it out for as long as you can tolerate before inventing some new creative preventive techniques.
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