As a newborn photographer, I have a unique challenge ahead of me in every photo session. Not only am I tasked with helping to soothe your newborn for hours at a time, but I need to pose them, wrap them, and create photographs while keeping them calm too.

Not to toot my own horn, but after spending years working with newborns (including premature babies and newborns with any number of health issues including colic and reflux), I’ve become a bit of a pro at calming babies. And today, I’m here to give you a clear checklist of steps to take to soothe a fussy newborn.

First, let’s stop the screaming . . .

Step 1: Check the Basics

When soothing your newborn, you always start with the essentials: feed them, check whether they have a dirty diaper, and see if they’re hot or cold. If all those needs are met and your baby is still crying, move on to the next steps below.

Step 2: The Elevator Move

With your baby safely swaddled or held securely, start to smoothly move them up and down. Think of it like an elevator for your baby – put them in your hands and move them up and down in front of your chest to the beat of “1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, 3 Mississippi,” and so on. This motion breaks your baby’s cycle of crying and gives them a chance to realize that something has changed. I’ve found that the vast majority of the time, babies stop crying by the time you have done this five times.

Step 3: Pat their Bottom or Back

We all do this instinctively when holding a fussy baby, but the reason it works is because the mother’s heartbeat has been rhythmically tapping the baby’s body for months now. So the return of the rhythm on their body is soothing to your newborn.

Step 4: Use the Sucking Reflex

If you’ve followed the steps above and your baby is still crying, the next resort is to have them suck on something. That could include sucking on Mom’s breast, a pacifier, or even your finger. Many parents worry about “nipple confusion,” and don’t want to introduce a pacifier, but there’s no need to be concerned. Rest assured that your baby will never turn down the breast in favor of a pacifier that isn’t giving them milk.

Step 5: Use a “Shusher”

Did you know the “shush” sound soothes babies because it reminds them of the familiar sound they heard in the womb? Making this sound while subtly bouncing your baby is a fantastic way to calm your crying baby. Of course, you can’t keep making that sound for minutes on end. That’s why I recommend a product called the “shusher” which gives your baby 15 minutes of this sound – enough to soothe your newborn to sleep (and prevent you from hyperventilating!)

Step 6: Swaddle Your Baby

Some parents think their newborn doesn’t like being swaddled because the baby cries while they’re trying to swaddle them. Truth be told, babies sometimes get into a pattern of crying and find it hard to stop, so don’t assume that swaddling (or anything else you’re doing) isn’t helping if it doesn’t instantly quiet your baby. Your baby may fuss the entire time you are getting them swaddled, but once you are done they usually calm. Swaddling your baby, with their limbs held up against their body, will give them that same warm feeling we all get when we’re hugged.

Step 7: For the Baby That Won’t Swaddle – Chest to Chest hold

If your baby resists swaddling or if you don’t want to swaddle them, you can still give them a similar effect. The most soothing way to hold your baby is across your body and against your abdomen with their tummy up against your chest or stomach. You want to make sure their arms and legs don’t bounce, so tuck their arms in front of their chest and hold their legs securely. Once they have settled, you can allow their arms and legs to find their own comfortable position.

Step 8: Embrace the Outdoors

If you’ve tried everything and your baby just won’t stop crying, taking them outside can do wonders. If it’s cold outside, just bundle them appropriately so both of you stay warm. There’s just something about the outdoors that seems to soothe any fussy baby. You can even use this trick if you have to wake your sleeping baby. Carry them outside first and then gently wake them while they are outdoors, and they will wake up more peacefully.

Now, let’s get them to sleep. . .

Step 1: Subtle Bobble Head Move

It’s important to remember that your baby is new to the experience of being out in the world instead of being nestled in the womb. When your baby was in the womb, they were in constant motion either from Mom’s movements or from the movement inside Mom from digestion and other processes. That’s why putting a baby in motion is one of the best ways to calm a newborn. So, even the slightest bounce of your knee with your baby on your lap is enough to keep their head in constant motion is often enough to help them relax once they’ve stopped crying.

Step 2: Hand on Head

Your baby has been pressing up against you from inside the womb for months, so it makes sense that having a soft pressure, like the weight of your hand, on the top of their head is soothing. You don’t have to press down, just simply place your palm on the top of their head. For some babies, this is enough to send them to dreamland. Others may benefit from this method combined with bouncing.

Step 3: Light Facial Massage

Running your fingers lightly across your baby’s face can be very soothing. If you take your finger and run it back and forth over your baby’s forehead right above the eyebrows, it will always make a sleepy baby close their eyes. Some babies like this, others may like you tracing around their forehead to their cheek and back up the nose in circles. You will get the occasional baby that doesn’t like this and you can tell if they keep pulling away from your touch on their face. For those babies, simply run your palm over their hair repeatedly to soothe them to sleep.

Step 4: Yin Tang Point

There is an acupressure point between the eyebrows that helps tired babies keep their eyes closed. So when they are obviously fighting sleep and their eyes keep fluttering open, just lightly press this point with your finger and sleepy babies will keep their eyes closed and drift off to sleep quickly.

Step 5: Block the Distractions

Getting a baby to sleep isn’t always about calming a crying baby. If your baby is awake and calm but you want them to go to sleep, there’s a good chance they’re just curious about what’s going on and they’re staying awake to look around.

You can shield them from these distractions by either going into a very dark room with them or by using a nightcap or beanie-type hat to cover their eyes. You can do this safely by making sure the hat doesn’t cover your baby’s nose or mouth and by taking it off as soon as they’re asleep. Your baby might fuss for a few seconds while you first do this, but if you rock them and hold them close to you, they will settle soon. If your baby still isn’t sleeping after about five minutes, they just aren’t sleepy yet.

Using Your New Bag of Tricks to Calm a Crying Baby

I can tell you from years and years of experience with hundreds of babies that these tips and steps above can soothe just about any crying baby. Don’t worry that you are masking pain or other problems that are making your baby cry. If something is wrong, your baby will absolutely let you know by continuing to cry – babies aren’t shy about telling you they’re uncomfortable! But in the absence of an essential need or discomfort, the tips above can soothe your baby and lull them into the peaceful slumber that every new parent relishes.

For all its stress and chaos, this newborn stage in your baby’s life is a time that you’ll cherish forever after it passes. As a newborn photographer, I can help you capture the memories of this magical time. Contact my photography studio today to schedule your session if you’re preparing for a new baby or if you need a newborn photo session.