[Submitted Question]

We have tried everything to comfort our son when he is crying. We rock him, carry him around, sing to him, show him his toys, dance with him, whatever. But the harder we try the harder he seems to cry. I am desperately searching for a method that will work. Any advise would be appreciated!

[WombToBloom]

You don’t mention how old your baby is – but if he is still pretty young, he could be going through a colicky phase. In that case, there might not be a lot that works. White noise like the sound of the vacuum, the clothes dryer and the hair dryer worked for my son. Motion – especially swings and car rides – work for others.

If it’s not typical colic, try holding him in a new position like the football hold (baby is facedown along the length of your forearm with his head at your elbow and your hand around his thigh) or across your shoulder with the shoulder bone pressing firmly against his abdomen.

Swaddling works well for some babies. They crave that tightly-wrapped feeling from the womb. A warm, firm massage can be helpful too – especially if the tears are due to gas. Try soft music (we love the Baby Einstein Lullaby Classics) or rhythmic sound (ticking clock or simulated heartbeat soundmaker). That’s all I’ve got – I’m sure that someone else will be around here soon with some fabulous road-tested tips for you. Ladies? Help a girl out?