Top 5 Tips for Calming Your Newborn Baby
How I calm fussy babies in my studio and how you can do it at home, too!
Now, I have decades of experience calming and posing newborn babies, but when my son was born, I was often at a loss for how to calm him down. My son was a pretty intense baby from the day we brought him home. We had trouble nursing and latching (OUCH!) and he never slept unless he was being held. He would scream his head off and as soon as I’d get him to sleep and try to lay him down in his bassinet, he’d wake up and start all over again. I was EXHAUSTED! Thankfully, I read a really helpful book called The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp. It was a game-changer for sure. We figured out that turning on our vacuum cleaner was like a switch for our son. He would go from crying to calm instantly when we turned on that loud machine. I figured the upstairs neighbors would rather hear a vacuum at 3 am than a screaming baby, right? I have since been using the 5 S’s to calm babies in my studio for the last 10+ years. Here are some suggestions that I have adopted into my sessions that you can also use at home.
Swaddle: I swaddle babies up very snuggly for their session and this is almost always a surefire way to calm them down. Of course, this is assuming they are not hungry or in need of a diaper change. But once you have done both of those things, if they are still upset, they likely just need the comfort of a swaddle, and the other S’s listed below. I always make sure I can still fit my fingers down the swaddle around their chest and that their neck is clear of fabric so they have good circulation and room to breathe.
Sucking: No, I’m not referring to how I felt I was doing at this whole new parenting thing. I’m referring to a baby’s need to be comforted by nursing. Oftentimes, a baby is no longer hungry, but a pacifier can be that extra little bit of comfort they need to drift off to dreamland. I heard way too many opinions on how my baby would get confused and not want to nurse, or get addicted to the pacifier, but even if you don’t plan to use a pacifier at home, it can be a great tool for their portrait session! I always suggest parents bring a pacifier to their session even if we just use it for a couple of hours while they are with me. It makes posing a lot easier and makes your baby feel comfortable and sleepy.
Swinging: Babies love to be in motion. It reminds them of constantly being swayed around in the womb as their mother moved about when she was pregnant. My son literally slept all night in his baby swing until he was 3 months old because it was the only way he would sleep more than 10 minutes at a time and we were so tired! Sometimes, you just do what you have to survive, am I right?
Side: This one is the icing on the cake. After I swaddle a baby, and give them their paci, I hold them on their side and swing them as they drift off. I can then unwrap them as they fall deeper asleep during the session. This works like MAGIC! MAGIC I SAY! (side note: If your baby gets reflux, they tend to get fussy when they are on their back so I make note of how they react to this position and keep them upright as much as possible if this happens.)
Shushing: This one is pretty natural to us parents but babies love the shush even louder than you’d imagine. I keep white noise or peaceful music playing in my studio to mimic the sounds of the womb and it helps babies nod off. For my kiddo, it was the vacuum that really did the trick but, a bluetooth speaker with a curated playlist is what I use for our session so we can all enjoy the peaceful vibe.
You can read more about this on Dr. Harvey Karp’s Blog here. Hang in there parents! This is the toughest age but also the sweetest and most fleeting. It will be over before you know it. The days are long, but the years are short! Never has a saying been more true. You think those sleepless nights will never end and then, one day, you look back and can’t believe how fast it has all gone. You will reminisce about those innocent days and those chubby little cheeks and cherish these beautiful, professional portraits for the rest of your days!
