Here’s a scenario just about every parent on the planet has experienced: You have, through arguably Herculean effort, mixed in with the patience of Job, finally managed to get your fussy little bundle of joy to fall peacefully asleep in your arms. It’s taken what seems like hours of rocking, singing, feeding, burping, and otherwise tending to her needs before those eyes finally closed and she’s nodded off to sleep. Thinking you are home free, and can now take a nap yourself (or get caught up on housework), you gently lay the baby down in her crib, only to have her eyes immediately pop open. Giving you a look like you’ve somehow betrayed her, she starts to cry again, and you start over, from square one, it seems, to put her back to sleep….again.

One of the most important tricks of the trade in parenting is learning how to take a fussy baby and help soothe her until she falls into a nice, deep sleep. Unfortunately, there’s isn’t one foolproof way to do it. Every baby is different, and every parent is different, leaving us to learn by trial and error. But take heart, although the hours spent trying to help your fussy baby sleep can be frustrating, they are also great relationship building times.