Parent Talk

Each week, our Parents Council of experts takes your questions, gives advice and shares solutions.

Moms, dads, grandparents and the diverse families who make up our community will have a new resource for questions about local neighborhood schools, the best pediatricians, 24-hour pharmacies and the thousands of other issues that arise while raising children.

This week’s question is:

What are some suggestions for mothers and fathers whose infants cry throughout the night? What are some methods for getting them to calm down, so that everyone - mom, dad, baby - get some sleep?  

Judy Vincent:

I believe that all children are different. My daughter suffered from severe gas and cried for hours for the first three months. My husband and I took turns being up, so we could take turns getting rest. Parents need to be prepared for things like this and understand that it will be short lived. It shouldn't come as a big surprise. Babies cry for lots of reason - illness, hunger or just the need for comforting. Swaddling is very good for newborns and the use of a pacifier could also be a good thing.

Peter Pollicino: 

Having had three children of my own, I can tell you that each [child] can be challenging.

 The following methods have proven successful:
- Classical music at a low volume while sitting and reading to them.
- Holding the child, walking around the house, and humming.
- Taking the child for a ride in the car or out in the stroller to get a little air, weather and health permitting.
- Sedating their appetite or thirst.
- Sitting with them in a quiet room.

 Above all, check the diaper.  

Safia Sattaur:

If a baby has colic, it is hard to avoid. When my son was a newborn, he had a period of about two weeks when he cried every night for an hour or two nonstop.

Whenever this happened, I found it helpful to give him a warm, soothing bath followed by a massage. I also tried putting on the television to distract him or keeping all the lights off. I’ve known a few parents who put their kid in the car seat and take them out for drives at 2 a.m. because that was the only thing that got them to sleep.

Jacqueline Montgomery:

There is no way parents can get any sleep when there is a newborn in the house! But, there are some great tips to ease the baby’s transition into our world as well as easing the parents’ transition.

Swaddling is the most underrated weapon in the parenting arsenal. Keep walking around the house as you are holding him close. Motion is familiar and, therefore, comforting to him. Newborns enjoy sucking on their parents’ clean pinkie fingers.

Place a noise machine in the room. There are beautiful natural noises that will quiet your baby into a peaceful ambience. Place your own unwashed pillowcase, nightgown or even a nursing pad in his crib. Babies have powerful little noses, and this will help him think you are closer than you actually are.

To the best of your abilities, keep looking at each other with a smile, no matter stressful it gets with the crying. Don’t think about it yet, but be prepared down the road for this one: “But Mom, why can’t I go out?”