10 Ways to Soothe Baby's Colic

There's nothing as unsettling for a parent as a crying baby. And getting a baby to stop crying isn't always as easy as it sounds. Check out these 10 methods that have worked for other moms -- maybe one of them will do the trick for you and your baby.

1. Swaddle your baby in a receiving blanket.

2. Take your baby outside for a walk.

3. Holding baby firmly, stand on your bed and bounce gently from foot to foot on your mattress.

4. Place your baby in a baby seat on top of the clothes dryer (keep your hands on the seat); the motion may soothe her.

5. Play slow music with the rhythm of a heartbeat.

6. Holding your baby high up on your shoulder, with firm head and bottom support, do slow knee bends.

7. Put a drawing of a face with simple black-and-white graphics in front of your baby. Infants are intrigued by the shape of a face and by sharp contrasts.

8. Lay your baby down underneath a ceiling fan that's turned on at low speed. Give her a gentle massage with baby oil.

9. Use white noise, such as the vacuum cleaner or water running in the bathtub.

10. Put your baby in front of an aquarium. The bubbling sound from the aerator and the movement of the bubbles is calming.

Parents tend to abandon methods of stopping the crying too quickly, says Maureen Keefe, RN, PhD, founder of the Fussy Baby Clinics, in Denver, Colorado, and Charleston, South Carolina. She notes that you have to stay with an intervention for five minutes to get its maximum benefit. If after five minutes, the baby is still crying don't get discouraged -- just move on to the next strategy.

All content here, including advice from doctors and other health professionals, should be considered as opinion only. Always seek the direct advice of your own doctor in connection with any questions or issues you may have regarding your own health or the health of others.