When your baby will not stop crying, small adjustments matter. Here is a calm, step-by-step guide to soothing a crying baby — including what to try when nothing works.

How to soothe a crying baby

Nothing tests a new parent like a baby who cries and cries and cries. Before you try anything, please hear this: a baby crying is not a report card on your parenting. Sometimes babies cry and nothing is "wrong" — they are new humans processing a very loud, bright world.

Quick checklist (the "5 S's" reminder)

Adapted from Dr Harvey Karp's Happiest Baby on the Block:

Swaddle — snug, but hips loose.
Side/stomach position — while awake and in your arms only.
Shush — a loud "shhh" close to their ear.
Swing — small, fast, jiggling motions (not shaking).
Suck — pacifier, breast, or clean finger.

Cycle through them slowly. Give each one a full minute before moving on.

If the basics are covered

Run through the boring list: hungry, wet, tired, too hot, too cold, gas, over-stimulated. Around 60% of the time it's one of these — especially "over-tired" in babies under 4 months.

For colic and evening crying

Peak crying happens around 6 weeks. If crying is intense, predictable in the evening, and hard to soothe, it may be colic. Try:

Warm bath + skin-to-skin.
Motion — carrier, stroller, car ride.
White noise loud enough to match their cry, then gradually lower.
Trade off with a partner in 20-minute shifts.

When to call a doctor

Call your paediatrician if your baby has a fever, is unusually lethargic, refuses feeds for hours, has blood in their stool, or the cry sounds different from usual. In an emergency, call 911.

What about you?

If you feel yourself getting overwhelmed, put your baby down safely in the crib and step away for two minutes. A crying baby in a safe crib is fine. A shaken baby is not. Every experienced parent has needed that two-minute break.

For personalised, in-the-moment guidance next time it happens, try AskJunie's parenting app — free to start.