Monday, December 19, 2005

Tips for fussy babies

I swear my brother-in-law is Mr. Sandman. He can put any baby to sleep. He also has the magic touch with fussy babies too. During my last trip home to Texas, I discovered the secret to his touch...
To assist a baby in falling asleep, he pats the rhythm of a heart beat on the baby's back or chest.

(It makes me think of Dirty Dancing when Johnny holds Baby's hand and beats a heart rhythm on his chest "Gauh, Gauh")
I wish I'd known about this little trick when my daughter was still a baby. I use the technique with my son and it works.

For fussy babies, my brother-in-law *swaddles tightly (*the best baby tip of all time) and then also pats the rhythm of a heart beat on the baby's back.
(Disclaimer: I can almost guarantee this method, but I know all babies are different. Believe it will work and give it a try)
*-Place a receiving blanket on a flat surface and fold down the top corner about 6 inches.
-Place your baby on his back with his head on the fold.
-Pull the corner near your baby's left hand across his body, and tuck the leading edge under his back on the right side under the arm.
-Pull the bottom corner up under your baby's chin.
-Bring the loose corner over your baby's right arm, and tuck it under the back on his left side. Some babies prefer to have their arms free, so you may like to swaddle your baby under the arms so he has access to his hands and fingers. (from BabyCentre.com)

A great book about swaddling and other helpful tips for fussy babies is The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp

1 comment:

Ishaan said...

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