Most parents have been there. 3AM and the baby won’t stop crying. Or maybe your time frame was 5-8 at night like mine was with my daughter. Either way it can leave you feeling at your wits end with no idea what to do. Suggestion: create a soothe your baby checklist.
What is a Soothe Your Baby Checklist?
Basically, it’s just a little write-up of all the soothing techniques that you’ve tried before that work best on your baby.
Why Do I Need a Soothe Your Baby Checklist?
If you have a frequent crier like I did, your brain can be easily frazzled. For me, that crying put my nervous system on high alert. It pushed my brain into fight or flight mode, so it wasn’t always working as well as it should.
Having this checklist on hand was a life saver. It was easy to pull out when my brain just went blank on what to try next.
Simply put, it was a toolkit there in case I needed it.
I didn’t use it often, but it was there when I needed it, and for that, I am grateful.
How to Create a Soothe Your Baby Checklist
Take a few minutes when you are not feeling horribly overwhelmed by parenthood and life.
Just make sure your brain is somewhat calm. Sit down and brainstorm all the things you know have worked for your child in the past.
Once you have all those down, add a few things for emergency situations.
Those might be the simple reminders that if you need to, it’s okay to leave the baby in the crib or somewhere safe to take a moment for yourself.
Write down that it’s okay to leave your baby in their crib, shut the door and go to another room or step outside for a moment.
Those are good reminders to have for when you might not be thinking clearly.
Make sure to use them if you need them. Because sometimes it’s that little break for yourself, that fresh breath of air that will calm your nervous system enough to allow you to soothe your baby.
After all, I’ve heard that babies feed off their parent’s energy, so it is worthwhile to take that moment for yourself if you need it.
How to Use the Checklist
The goal with the checklist is that it is always easily accessible when you need it.
When your nervous system is on high alert and your brain is frazzled, you need things to be as easy as possible.
Keep the checklist in an easily accessible location.
I simply created ours in a word document and printed it out. It was always kept in the top dresser drawer so we knew where it was at all times.
I also had the original version on my phone so I had it when we were on the go.
Keep yours where you know you’ll remember it.
It could be the top dresser drawer like me or hanging in a kitchen cabinet, whatever works best for you.
Create Your Checklist
Take a few minutes now to go create your own checklist. It will be worth your time.
Let us know in the comments below what you included on your checklist. Your ideas might spark something useful for someone else.
Don’t have time to create your own? Grab the one I created below.
