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Fussy Babies
Taking It from Commotion to Calm
By Jenn Director Knudsen
Fresh air also helps calm a baby. Dress your distressed one appropriately for the weather, and get outside.
"The fresh air and the motion of the stroller (or you carrying him or her) can be very comforting," says Dr. Pam Garcy, a clinical psychologist and mother from Plano, Texas.
Getting outdoors with Baby had an added personal bonus for Vicki Brand of Middletown, N.J., mother of five children and owner of a comedy club. Long walks with fussy little ones in a stroller helped her shed the baby weight (while saving her sanity, she reports).
Plus, just think of all those natural, white-noise sounds going on outside at any time: car engines, lawnmowers, birds chirping, rain pelting, wind rustling leaves, tow trucks towing...
"If you're overly concerned about your baby's fussiness, don't hesitate to call your pediatrician; they're used to getting calls from new parents," Zalon says. If you've met your baby's basic needs, you want to rule out something perhaps more serious – such as acid reflux – than typical newborn problems like gas. "Best-case scenario, your baby is just 'fussy' and you'll get some reassurance from your doctor," she says.
But you need more than that for you.
"Give yourself a stress break," Garcy says. "Sometimes parents don't realize how much stress they are carrying around. ... An astute and sensitive baby might not know what these signals mean, but he or she might become fussy in response to their parents' stress."
"If you really can't calm down, ask for help and take a break," Zalon says. "It's thought that babies can pick up on their parents' anxiety."
A calmer parent also can help calm a baby. Even a fussy one.
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