Crying Cures

Switch It Up

Face Facts
"I would take my babies into our bathroom, turn on the lights, and let them look at themselves in the mirror. They were so surprised they usually stopped crying."
Lonni Miller Ryan; Wayne, NJ

Tap Trick
"Sometimes when Cole was screaming for hours at a time, I'd take him over to the sink and run warm water over his feet. This always seemed to calm him down."
Amanda Eichenberger; Augusta, GA

Natural Remedy
"We tried everything we could think of to calm down our daughter, Maeve. The only method that seemed to help was taking her outside, even if it was cold or rainy. Something about the fresh air and all the stimuli -- birds, wind, leaves, the sun -- made her a lot happier."
Erin Erdman; Portland, OR

Home Movies
"When my babies were upset, I would turn on some videos we'd taken of them or of their cousins to help soothe them. It worked, and as a bonus, they started learning the names of relatives who don't live nearby."
Rebecca Madsen; Bedford, MA

Pity Party
"Sometimes when Connor was upset, I'd put my face close to his and start crying with him. He was so intrigued that he stopped to watch me."
Liz Murphy; Winchester, MA

Pleasant Distraction
"When Alyssa was fussy, we would blow lightly at her face. She'd stop crying, and then we'd distract her by making faces. She forgot all about what was bugging her."
Sabrina Foust; Duvall, WA

Big Fan
"When Natalie started to get cranky, all we had to do was divert her attention to the ceiling fan in the living room, and she was instantly captivated. It didn't even have to be on to get her interested."
LeAnn Hamby; Cleveland, TN

Related Features: