Relax, Baby: How to Soothe Baby's Nerves

Help your infant chill out in situations that send her nerves into overdrive.

By Melody Warnick

Heather Weston

1 of 7

Your Little One's Worries

Sure, your little one's not worried about her plummeting 401(k) or a too-long to-do list, but the ordeals of daily life can have the same physiological effect on her that stress has on you, flooding her with hormones like cortisol and speeding up her heart rate. That can turn her into a cranky crybaby who flails her limbs, fusses, and furrows her brow.

"Babies need to learn how to cope with stress," says Cathi Propper, Ph.D., a research scientist at the University of North Carolina's Center for Developmental Science, in Chapel Hill. "With your support, your child will pick up soothing strategies over the first year so that she can start to do it on her own." Until then, we've got advice on helping your little one through five scenarios that ratchet up the tension in her life.

What do you think of this story? Tell Us.

1 of 7

Related Links