I’m going to make this brief because I’m terrified of jinxing myself and I want to run downstairs so I can more effectively eavesdrop on Matt’s band’s new singer; they are practicing as I type, and I have to be the Yoko. (“You’re the only one with any talent, Matt…”)
Last night I did a brief browse of The Happiest Baby on the Block, gleaned some key points, and recognized many strategies from family and friends. I believe it was Katherine who told me some young babies need to be carried a lot. Shawn and Yun shared the fresh air tip and the original advice about Mylicon. My brother Steve wraps babies as tightly as Egyptians wrapped mummies. My mother-in-law delights Simon with infant back rubs. And when Simon cries, my Mom is all over him in about 5 seconds, shushing him loudly and bouncing and swinging him in short, jerky movements.
Turns out you guys are all be on to something. Dr. Karp’s advice about calming babies includes much instruction about tight swaddling, loud shushing, regular carrying, specific vigorous bounces and swings and lots of sucking. I incorporated as much as I could glean from a quick skim last night, and Simon was indeed a very happy baby. He’s been a happy baby all day today as well.
So much so that today I wrapped him up, plonked him in his stroller, and went out for our first ever neighborhood walk. We might–ok, we will–have more grisly days and nights ahead of us, but for now I’m thinking it unlikely Simon’s fussiness was wholly or even mostly due to reflux.
If this trend continues I’m nominating Dr. Harvey Karp for sainthood. Hmm…a Goldstein nominating a Karp. OK, maybe I’ll just write a really flattering review on Amazon…
This is the part that you realize, although many people make suggestions, it really just matters what works for you and Simon.. We used many of the tips from Dr. Karp as well.. Kalyna seemed to calm down with the shooshing, and swaying (standing, not sitting…) Not so much on the bouncing… but sometimes..
We just kept trying new things, until we found something that worked… Music would work “sometimes”.. but white noise is great.. We found this show that I’ve mentioned to several people before called “Sunrise Earth” on Discovery HD. It’s just an hour of a sunrise at a various location. We still use it today, Kalyna really likes the ocean ones, where you can hear the waves for hours..
Tony and Katherine had mentioned that Thomas liked something similar… there are other tricks that Kalyna likes.. Lately I’ve been putting her head on my shoulder, and lifting her legs like an airplane and she always smiles, and instantly quiets down..
Kalyna is starting to get bored, so we’re having to find new things… I’d just suggest trying something new, and seeing if he likes it.. I’m pretty surprised at how random things seem to work.. Yun has found a painting we have, that whenever she plops Kalyna in front of it, she calms down… crazy :)
The hairdryer of all things worked for my niece, Keira! Oh, and the vacuum worked too. Guess this falls into the “white noise” category.