Bona Vista's Child Care Solutions

In child care we are supposed to be the experts in helping soothe the fussiest most challenging babies. Even the greatest infant teacher will from time to time come across a baby who is difficult and seems impossible to soothe. When this happens there can be a mix of emotions from guilt to frustration to anger. It is easy to blame the parents, “this baby is spoiled” or to blame yourself, “I don’t know what I am doing I must be stupid”. The blame game is never helpful in fixing a situation so here are some tips and techniques to keep in mind to help you problem solve with the babies family how to soothe the fussiest baby.

1. Make sure you have run through your basics- food, diaper, calm period to rest etc.
2. Strip the baby down and make sure nothing is irritating her skin. Remember for a sensitive baby socks that are too tight can cause a day of crying.
3. Find out what works at home. Does mom use a cradleboard? Do they have a special CD that plays? How does the family hold the baby? All of this matters. Compare it to how you relax. We all have specific things that we do to calm ourselves down and what works for me might not be at all what works for you. Just because I like a cup of hot tea and a jazz CD does not make that the only way to calm down. This is true for children too. Take some time and have a conversation where you listen to the parents share what they do to calm the baby at home. Who knows maybe it is a combination of rap music and fan that works wonders at home. Do not judge parents, just listen and keep an open mind.
4. Try to adapt techniques used at home to the child care setting. This often takes creativity since there are more complications in a child care setting (i.e. other children playing laughing and even hollering), but you can adapt almost anything with a little creativity.
5. Do not expect miracles. Especially when babies are new to care, everything is different. Smells, sounds, temperatures, and you are all new. All that change is scary so expect some crying. Even if a child has been in your care for some time, as children go through different developmental stages crying at change is normal. As you make your adaptations, give each adaptation at least a week, preferably more, to work before changing anything else. Nothing works instantly and patience is essential when working with young children.
6. Ask for help. If you have tried to adapt and use different techniques and it is not working, call your mentor or infant toddler specialist and ask for help. Also keep in mind that there can be medical reasons for a child to cry. If the baby is crying and is inconsolable both at home and school, you should keep a log of the times the baby cries and what you have done to soothe. This log can be helpful for the child’s family to take to the pediatrician to talk about what else could be causing the crying.

Try not to be too hard on yourself or on parents. Babies cry for a reason. They are not spoiled nor are they out to get you. By working patiently with the family you should be able to help soothe most of those babies through even the roughest patches.

For more information on helping out parents click here

When thinking about helping babies sleep always remember Safe Sleeping guidelines check out this article for more information

For more great Infant & Toddler Information Check out these websites:

Zero to Three
National Association for the Education of Young Children
The Program for Infant & Toddler Care