Console crying infant, learn better parenting

It’s never to late to become a better parent, grandparent, doctor or adviser. I, too, was disturbed by the recent (and unfortunately common) advice to leave crying babies alone to cry.

We know crying babies are a guarantee if you’re a parent or a grandparent. How we deal with them is not guaranteed and unfortunately, not always in the best interest of the babies or of ourselves.

As a grandmother with a new grandchild, I was fortunate to become better educated about ways to soothe unhappy babies by my new daughter-in-law. She and my son came across the book, “The Happiest Baby,” by Harvey Karp, MD. Karp lays out five simple, time-tested and effective ways to soothe unhappy babies.

One example is swaddling, where the baby is wrapped tightly in a blanket creating what we came to call our burrito baby. Babies can be soothed instantly by swaddling. And this is just one of the five “S’s” that Karp teaches in his book.

These techniques enabled me to spend wonderful time getting to know my new grandson without the stress of inconsolable crying. It’s never to late (I’m 63) to learn a better way – better for baby, better for momma and poppa, better for grandparents, better for the world.