Ten dad tested ways to stop crying

Keep an open mind

Learning how to calm your sobbing child can take experimentation. The strategies below may not work for you — but they're worth a shot.

Feel your baby's pain

Putting on your baby's favorite reggae CD will not satiate her hunger, nor will a teething baby stop crying when you change her diaper. In other words: "First, find the source of the pain," says David Templeton, father of two in Branford, Connecticut. Yes, this seems almost too logical, but when the crying train sets to rollin', logic is usually left at the station.
T
ry the pinky

If you're not sure what's causing the problem, whip out your littlest finger and offer it to your baby to suck on. "It's a classic," says Greg Lanigan, father of two in Coppell, Texas. The key is to insert your pinky upside down, so that you don't scratch the roof of your baby's mouth with your fingernail.

Get a drink

For the baby, we mean. Try offering a warm bottle of formula or breast milk.

Rock and swing

Babies love movement — and who better to swing them around than Daddy? "When my daughter started to cry, I would swing her back and forth in her infant car seat," says Eric Rimm, father of one in Boston. Rimm calls this the "dual-purpose swing," as it worked both as a baby sedative and a form of exercise. "I eventually noticed my right biceps and triceps were more developed than the left," he says.

Cut a rug

Hold your baby up to your shoulder and wrap his little arms around your neck. Then, dance gently — rocking slowly back and forth — with a spin or two thrown in for good measure. Tap the floor with your foot and try chanting — hey, it works. It doesn't really matter what you chant, as long as it's repetitive and matches the beat of your dance. Gradually lower your voice as your baby begins to quiet. And he will.

Fine-tune embarrassing personal stunts

Bodily function noises. Horrific contorted faces. Spontaneous belly flops onto the nearest soft surface. Finally, there's a positive outlet for the physical gags you've practiced since childhood. Try Mark Blount's trick: This Atlanta father of two has turned cries into stares and giggles by putting something on his head, letting it fall off, and yelling, "Oh no, they fell again!" He also makes bulldog faces.

Rock and sing

For many, this could easily fit under "embarrassing personal stunts." Lanigan could quiet his first son, Drew, by singing Patsy Cline's "Crazy," a beautiful albeit depressing song that doesn't teach a baby much about positive relationships. Blount recommends any song by Ray Charles, as he contends it's the swaying motion, not the song itself, that will soothe. However, respect your baby's taste, too: Rimm was "met with little success" when imitating Pavarotti while singing "Hush Little Baby."

Wear your baby

Place your baby in a front carrier or sling. Between the warmth of your body, the rhythmic beating of your heart, the somniferous rise and fall of your breathing, and the gentle swaying motion as you walk ... at least one of you should be asleep in minutes.

Wait it out

Mothers may view this as a decidedly detached and therefore "male" approach, but sometimes, babies are just going to cry. If your baby's not in pain, she's not hungry, tired, or wet, and she doesn't want to be held or rocked, then let her cry, at least for as long as you can stand it.