Forgive me if this is common knowledge! I'm a FTM and still quite clueless about a lot of things, but I've discovered through trial and error that this works nearly every time to calm my now 7-week-old. Obviously first I rule out the usual - hunger/thirst, nappy, wind, physical discomfort, just needing a cuddle.
I lie her on my lap, facing me, her head on my knees and her legs bent, or round my waist. I take hold of her hands in mine, circling her wrists with my thumb and forefinger, and hold them against her chest/tummy. I don't apply any force, she can still move, she just can't wave her arms round. The rest of my fingers lie on her chest. I suppose this emulates swaddling. Then I lean into her, take a deep breath and say a gentle "shhhh" that goes on for as long as I can breathe out. I repeat this until she's calmer. Before long, the crying reduces to the odd whinge, then she's happy or even dozing off.
If you try it, a couple of tips:
- You need to be calm first, so you can transmit this to the baby. My DH gets more stressed than me when our DD cries, and he struggled a bit, holding her too tight and sh-ing far too impatiently!
- My DD seems to calm down quickly, then cries again after a couple of minutes. I keep holding and sh-ing, and the crying gets less and less frequent till she stops altogether.
I thought I'd share in case it works for others. I hope someone finds it helpful.