There
are numerous ways that parents try to get their crying or fussy baby to settle
down and fall asleep—patting their baby's back is a great option. Rocking their
baby gently or giving their baby a nice calming bath is a great alternative
too. But sometimes these common soothing methods just don't work and parents
too begin to cry out of frustration. If you ever find yourself in a situation
where you think you've exhausted all other options, one other method to look
into (which has proven time and time again to be effective) is using the power
of sounds to calm you baby—some experts even swear by it. To learn about the various noises (aside from
lullabies) that may just be able to put your new born at ease, continue reading
below.
White Noise
In short, white noise is simply a constant neutral, sometimes
"fuzzy" sounding noise that drowns out other noises, such as loud
voices and ringing cell phones. It more or less is the sound your television
makes whenever the cable gets disconnected and the screen turns to
static—although it's not as obnoxious and babies find the sound quite
hypnotizing. There are several ways that you can create white noise. The first
is to purchase a white noise CD or find some free samples on YouTube, like this
hour-long snippet found here. Other household devices that
also make the similar, monotonous white noise sound are:
·
Washing Machines
·
Dishwashers
·
Vacuum Cleaners
·
Hairdryers
·
Fans (although their effect is typically not quite
as effective)
But
because constantly running the washing machine just so you can soothe your baby
for example can be pretty pricey, it's recommended that you first experiment with
various white noises first just to get a better feel for what works best for
your child. Once you learn what settles down your baby, record the noise
instead—that way you can play the white noise on demand and don’t have to waste
your electricity and water.
Heartbeat
It may sound odd, but most babies are soothed by the constant pulsating
noise of a heartbeat. It makes perfect sense if you think about it—babies are
used to hearing their mother's heartbeat while in the womb. The familiarity of
the noise is like comfort-food to the ears for your baby. That said, try taking
your child to a quite room and then place them really close to your beating
heart. If that does not work, you can easily find samples of heart beats
online, like this one
and play it very loudly. Just make sure to shut off all other noises, so your
baby can focus on the heartbeat.
Whispers
Lastly,
whispering is also another great way to soothe your baby because it's a great
distraction—babies are not used to voices being in that low of a register and
will most likely stop crying to focus on what you are saying/doing. So get
extremely close to your baby's ear and begin to whisper loving words and
phrases. Humming in a monotone note in your child's ear can have the same
effective.
This is a guest post by Kristie Lewis from construction management degree. You can reach her at: Kristie.Lewis81 @ gmail. Com.
