What If Your Baby Cries In Their Stroller? Soothing Your Child When That's Nearly Impossible

So, you're out with your baby in their stroller — probably grappling with shopping bags or trying to, you know, actually get somewhere — when your child begins crying inconsolably. Crying signifies some kind of distress, obviously, and that means your baby needs something. In addition to just feeling bad for your baby, you may also get stressed, not to mention that the random strangers you'll encounter may get a bit salty, too. 

Babies crying, in strollers or elsewhere: A totally normal thing

At SteadyHealth, we try to convey scientifically-accurate information, based on peer-reviewed research wherever possible. To our knowledge, however, nobody's researched the best way to deal with babies and toddlers who are crying in their strollers. Yet, this is a situation most parents will encounter. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics reminds us of a simple, irrefutable, fact when they say: "Babies cry — this is what they do." We already know this. Babies cry when they're hungry. Babies cry when they're in pain. Babies cry when they have wet or dirty diapers, when they're tired, when they're too hot or too cold, when they long for connection, or for no apparent reason at all. And we've probably missed some, there.

The fact that adults respond to infant crying in particularly primal ways is just as well-established as the fact that babies cry. The sound of a crying baby can invoke distress, feelings of despair, and also feelings of anger; both in parents and unwitting strangers who happen to be in the vicinity. (Some may even call you a bad parent to your face because your baby is crying. It happens.)

Another fact? We, parents, need to go places, sometimes (or maybe all the time) with our babies in tow. Even when we don't strictly need to go places, we're people too, and, well, we want to go places. Babies will sometimes get upset while we go about our normal routine. They may get hungry, soil themselves, feel too hot, be tired, or just generally unhappy — and that still doesn't mean we don't need or want to go places, or that we shouldn't leave the house and just stay home to tend to our babies all the time. (Babies also need to be socialized, if nothing else, so going out is in their best interest, too.) 

Infant sleep training, in which babies are allowed to cry (in a practice of so-called "controlled crying") for short periods of time in an attempt to help them get used to falling asleep more easily are really, really controversial among parents. I'm not necessarily a fan, personally, but there's more recent research to suggest that (humane) sleep training methods for infants do not harm children's development in the long-term at all. If that's the case, I think we can probably safely conclude that it's quite alright to just speed along to where you're going when your baby is inconsolable in their stroller. You'll be able to pick them up and help them soon enough.

Is there anything parents can do to stop stroller distress?

Having said that, some people who reading this will be happy to hear that yeah, they're doing the best they can, and sometimes that'll involve a crying baby for a while — but others will be looking for ways to prevent situations in which their babies are crying in their strollers in a situation where soothing them is nearly impossible. 

Some possible solutions you could try to prevent your baby from crying in their stroller, or to stop them if it's already started, would include:

• Try a baby carrier. There are many different baby carriers on the market now, and they allow your baby to stay close to you — if you're breastfeeding, many carriers even make very discreet nursing quite possible. A baby carrier could eliminate much of that crying while you're on the go, but not all babies like them, and not all parents like them, either.
• Keep talking or singing to your baby in a soothing voice. Carrying on a conversation with your little one may convince them to stop crying, and if not, it'll probably help you feel a bit better, both because you feel you're doing something and because the monologue will distract you at least a little. If your baby cannot see you from their stroller, it also lets them know you're still here in a situation where they may not be able to see you.
• Point out interesting objects you see on the way in a bid to keep your baby distracted, or hang one of those stroller toys in your baby's "car". 
• If you can, periodically reach out to touch your baby — it may help.
• Check if there's a modifiable reason for the crying — maybe your baby is too hot, too cold, lying in an uncomfortable position, or the sun is shining in their eyes. 
• Finally, if your baby is a regular "stroller crier", try to see if you can plan ahead by making more time to take frequent breaks to pick them up and comfort them. (Some people will, of course, believe that this only encourages them to cry more so you can pick them up — your decision will depend on your parenting philosophy.)

A final word