“Babies are just so perfectly innocent!” you can hear your mother-in-law saying. “How could you not just kiss that little face?” But to be honest, you have found living with a newborn is far from perfect. Grandparents and friends love to coo over a new infant, but mom and dad find it quite a hefty challenge at times. The sometimes endless hours of crying indicate one clear fact. Babies don’t wait to be fed, changed, or put to sleep. The advice about everything from using a swing to wrapping in a swaddle blanket becomes a little overwhelming. What can you do to cope?

Though it seems nearly impossible at times, do your best to be patient. Babyhood sometimes seems like it will never end, but your little one will eventually grow up. The more in tune you can be with him or her, the more quickly you can soothe the crying. Take careful note of the way your baby cries; different sounds for hunger, sleepiness, wetness, and other needs will alert you as to how to calm your baby. This may not be as easy as it sounds, particularly for those with their first baby. Make careful note of your baby’s style of cry, along with what remedy worked to quiet him or her. Get out those receiving blankets, and if they help your baby relax, remember the type of cry that was satisfied by this method.

Learning what baby needs to calm down is something that mothers tend to excel at. Like it or not, fathers do not have the same “motherly intuition” in this area. That is the beauty of having two parents! Mothers, you can help your husbands feel more involved by sharing what you have learned about your baby’s attempts at communication. When you have figured out some effective ways to stop your little one’s crying, make sure to share your findings with your husband so he can gain confidence with him or her. If your husband hasn’t yet learned how to soothe using baby blankets, go ahead and teach him. Now if your mother-in-law visits and intones, “Look at that perfect little baby!” you and your husband can share a smile, and agree.