Why is your baby is wailing? Hungry? Sleepy? Hurting? Need a diaper change? Or is he Angry? Frustrated? Overwhelmed? Or just plain sad?

After you’ve dealt with the obvious, and that bundle of joy is still crying, what are some things you can try?

• Sometimes distraction is the only available tool. Often it works. But sometimes you can’t get their attention long enough to distract them.
• A bear hug often works. If they were overstimulated or frustrated or sad or even in some tantrums, eliminating all the other stimuli and making them stop moving can end the crying.
• Taking them away from the scene of the event, will give them the time and space to regroup.
• Sometimes they just need to be by themselves and finish crying. Let them know when they call you, you will come, Stay where they can’t see you. Many children will self-soothe when they don’t have an audience.

Moms all have stories of taking the wrong action when their baby cried. My son was crying and it was lunch time, so I put him in his highchair. I KNEW he was hungry. I fixed his lunch. I noticed he had stopped crying. It was then I discovered he had laid his head on the highchair tray and had fallen sound asleep. I stood there and cried because I thought, “Only a horrible mother doesn’t know her baby is sleepy and thinks he is hungry.”

Just know that you are NOT the worst parent in the world when your baby cries and you cannot figure out why. It happens to all of us sometimes. Try to learn what signs your baby gives you for different needs and remember what worked last time. Try that first. If it doesn’t work try something else. That’s what good moms do!