07/26/2026
For those nights where nothing works to soothe baby!
The best parenting advice I can give?
💙 When your baby is inconsolable… put them in water or take them outside.
It sounds almost too simple, but after years of working with babies and families, I’ve found that these two strategies are some of the most effective ways to help calm an overwhelmed infant.
I recommend them all the time, especially during:
✨ The evening “witching hour”
✨ Purple crying
✨ Growth spurts
✨ Fussy evenings
✨ Long days when nothing else seems to be working
Why? Because babies have immature nervous systems. They aren’t able to regulate their emotions the way older children and adults can. Their brains are still learning how to process hunger, fatigue, overstimulation, gas, discomfort, and the flood of new sensory experiences that come with life outside the womb.
Sometimes they don’t need another feeding
Sometimes they don’t need another toy
Sometimes they don’t need another bounce on the yoga ball
Sometimes their nervous system simply needs a reset
🌿 Going outside changes almost everything.
The temperature shifts.
The light changes.
There are new sounds.
A gentle breeze brushes their skin.
Leaves move overhead.
Birds chirp.
The environment becomes predictable without being overwhelming.
For many babies, that change in sensory input is enough to interrupt the cycle of escalating crying and help them settle.
💦 Water can work the same magic.
A warm bath provides gentle, consistent sensory input across the whole body. The warmth, buoyancy, and rhythmic movement can be incredibly calming for many infants. Even running warm water over their feet or letting them splash in the tub with your support can sometimes transform an evening of tears into a peaceful bedtime routine.
No, it’s not because water is “curing” the crying. You’re just giving the nervous system different, soothing sensory information to process.
As a speech-language pathologist and IBCLC, I think about babies through the lens of sensory regulation. Crying isn’t always a sign that something is wrong. It’s their only form of communication. it can also be a sign that their developing nervous system is having a hard time organizing all the information it’s receiving.
Changing the sensory environment can sometimes be exactly what they need.
And here’s my favorite part!! It works for adults too. Ever notice how you feel better after stepping outside for fresh air? Or how a warm shower somehow makes a stressful day feel just a little more manageable?
When we’re overwhelmed, our own nervous systems benefit from a reset.
A walk around the block.
Standing barefoot on the grass.
Listening to birds.
Feeling sunshine on your face.
Taking a warm bath after a difficult day.
These little acts of self-care double as ways of helping our nervous systems shift into a calmer state.
So the next time your baby is crying and you’ve already checked the basics (feeding, diaper, temperature, illness, and comfort) remember this simple trick:
💙 Water or outside.
Will it work every single time? Nope. Sometimes they’ll scream even harder. If they do, and you’re at your limit, put the baby down in a safe place and walk away for a minute or two to reset yourself before going back in
Babies cry for many reasons, and some evenings are simply hard. Purple crying is a normal developmental phase for many infants, often peaking around 6–8 weeks before gradually improving. Growth spurts, cluster feeding, and overtiredness can also make babies especially difficult to settle.
But these two strategies are simple, safe, and surprisingly effective. Change in environment can help an overstimulated baby and an overwhelmed parent find their way back to calm.
Have you discovered your baby’s “reset button?” I’d love to hear what has worked for your family. 💛
