I’ve tried everything… That is, how to calm the toddler?

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Movement and rocking. Babies love rhythmic movement, especially when they are carried in their arms, carried in a stroller or rocked on a large ball in a parent’s arms. It is believed that the rhythmicity of movement triggers associations with a safe womb. Try not to rock the baby too hard, however, as this can have the same effect on the brain as shaking and cause the small blood vessels of the brain to burst.

“Most babies stop crying when taken in your arms. Close physical contact regulates the baby’s autonomic nervous system.”

Low sounds. You can play a recording of your heartbeat (an effective method when used from birth) or 432 Hz music.

Provide entertainment for the baby. This activates the release of dopamine. If your baby is crying because of boredom, come up with something that will be attractive to him. Keep small toys in your purse, such as pacifiers applied to the finger or hand itself, to entertain your baby on the go.

Avoid excessive stimulation. Then go with him to a quiet, dimly lit room.

“Your touch helps me calm down”.

Babies who find it hard to calm down

On average, one in five babies is highly sensitive in the first few weeks of life. This can be the result of genetic equipment, stress experienced in the womb, or difficulties during birth. Studies show that if a mother experiences regular stress during the last three months of pregnancy, high concentrations of the stress hormones cortisol and glutamic acid can enter the unborn baby’s brain through the placenta.

That’s why it’s important that you experience as much calm as possible during pregnancy. If you are experiencing severe stress after the birth of your baby, you may find that your baby will cry more often. You
may need to enlist the help of family and friends to effectively calm the baby.

Take
care not to be alone with a screaming baby. Put the baby in a stroller and go to the park, a cafe, to meet other moms. Isolation has an extremely bad effect on the chemical balance in the brain. It can contribute to a dramatic drop in serotonin levels (a key mood stabilizer), leading to aggressive impulses. It can also cause a drop in dopamine levels (the hormone responsible for positive arousal), so worrying about a screaming baby can be compounded by a bad mood.

Let’s be clear. No one can deny that it is possible to feel completely exhausted when you are relentlessly comforting a child who won’t stop crying. When you have tried everything, you may feel helpless and discouraged. The following things may help you:

Remember that “everything passes.” This phase usually lasts for just the first three months of life. Yet many exhausted parents think it is a life sentence.

Remember what a lasting gift you are giving your child by soothing him or her.
Time spent calming is an investment in the future, as it regulates your child’s emotional and physical systems so that he or she will be better able to cope with stress later in life.

Why do I feel like screaming when my child screams?

Your child’s emotional states are primitive enough to easily activate one or more alarm systems in your lower brain centers: ANGER, FEAR or DEPRESSIONAL STRESS. At the same time, high concentrations of stress hormones can block the secretion of hormones responsible for positive arousal, such as dopamine and opioids.

The author of our advice for moms is midwife Emilia Adamczyk of emilymed.co.uk, who is an expert in caring for toddlers and helping their moms. Sleepee co-creates its products in collaboration with Emilia to make them as safe, useful and quality as possible. Beautiful and durable they are by the way .

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