Happiest Baby is a simple formula and brings a decent number of anecdotes, a substantial amount of confidence and a fair amount of detail for dealing with crying babies. While the book felt a bit dogmatic, people swear by it, so it’s a reasonable place to start. Colic tends to resolve itself at about 12 weeks, and 90% of the time is normal. 10% of the time it’s due to underlying medical issues. My notes:
- Swaddle - do it tight enough so that the baby cannot move his arms, the idea is that babies do not have full control of their arms and can upset themselves by being able to move too much.
- Swing - It might be that finding the right frequency is difficult, and it’s OK to do it with vigor. You’d know if you are shaking your baby. This is meant to help them regain the feelings they had while they were in the womb.
- Side position - If they are on their back they might feel like they are falling. While on their back is the safest way for sleeping, putting them on their side while awake is helpful.
- Sush - Key point here is to start loud and close to the baby’s ear. Follow the baby going from loud to quit. White noise machines can definitely help.
- Suck - Pacifiers, helping get them their own finger into their mouth, and of course breastfeeding.