I have a theory about how to soothe fussy babies. I know that my approximate 110 hours of babysitting my nephew by no means makes me qualified to claim this will always work... but... I am pretty sure it will always work. :)

Of course, the baby is crying for a reason and will eventually need that issue addressed, but this should make the baby smile long enough for you to change that dirty diaper, heat up the bottle, or get out that pesky burp.

Here's what to do:

Find something the baby really likes and do that.
:)

I know, it's obvious, right? The catch is that you have to be willing to TRY a ton of different/silly things... and even think a little like the baby to figure out what works. I imagine it's different for every baby, but when you figure out that magic �thing�, your life becomes so much easier!

There are two things that always work with my 6-month-old nephew Danny:

1. Blowing in his face/putting him in front of a fan.
When Danny cries, he turns into a furnace. I thought, "If I was burning hot, what would help me?" and ta-da! A little breeze makes him smile every time.

2. Showing him himself in the mirror.
I tried this because I remembered that seeing his own reflection always helps elevate his father's mood. :) Danny loves to smile at himself.

3. Making my hand look like fireworks.
I just randomly discovered this while we were playing. I show him the back of my fist, then quickly spread out all of my fingers and say "bing!" The kid thinks it's the coolest!

Last weekend, I got to spend a lot of time with my friends, Dana and Ruben, and their 10-month-old son, Jaylen. Sure enough, �The Ciarastar Method" worked like a charm! I found two things that work for him, too:

1. Singing Beyonce's "Single Ladies" (much to his father's chagrin!).
Jaylen can say "da-da" and "uh-oh", so that gave me a good starting point. One time, as he was starting to get sleepy and fussy, he started mumbling, "uh-uh-uh...", so I responded in kind with the lyrics, "Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh�", and instantly he turned into a ball of giggles!

2. Talking like Scooby-Doo.
This also sprouted from the "uh-oh"s because Scooby sometimes says "Ruh-Roh". Sing "Single Ladies" like Scooby-Doo and he goes nuts!

These methods didn't fail for an entire weekend and I am willing to bet it'll work for Dana and Ruben in the days to come! To further my point, I have included a cute video of Jaylen below (especially check out the end). :)

Hope that helps you calm your babies, friends!