Babies tend to get cranky at any given time so it’s important to always be ready with a Happy Baby Plan that you can put into action no matter where you are. By having a pre-established plan your life as a parent will be easier and you’ll be able to turn your baby’s frown upside down in no time. Below you’ll find 5 steps to creating a strategic plan to get your baby back in a good mood no matter what.

Step #1: Observing your Baby

Choose a day for total baby observation. Get a journal and watch your baby’s behavior throughout the day. Jot down any time he or she gets upset or cranky and write down the time and suspected reason for the mood change. You might even want to do this for an entire week to really understand what makes your baby tick. Note what types of things seem to make your baby calm down or smile. Is there a particular toy your baby really enjoys? Is there a certain snack that puts a smile on her face? Does your baby perk up when she hears music? Does your baby like to get her back or arms rubbed? Does your baby like her bouncer, play mat or swing when she starts to whine? This will help you get to know your baby so you really understand her likes and dislikes, making it easier to create your Happy Baby Plan.

Step #2: Baby Data Analysis

Sit down with your journal and read over your entries. On a separate sheet of paper make some columns with the following titles: Morning, Afternoon, Night, Toys, Snacks, Actions, Accessories, Reasons for Crankiness. Put tally marks under the time of day when your baby got upset each time. Add the tally marks up to see when your baby is most volatile for a mood swing.

Write down your baby’s "happy" snacks under the snack column. In the Toys column, write down the name of any toy that seemed to have a calming affect on your baby. If no toy worked then I’d recommend getting one that’s small in size, but offers lots of different textured pieces and possibly makes "quiet" noises like crinkle sounds when your baby touches it. Finding the right toy can make all the world of difference, but the key is to only let your child play with it when she starts showing signs of crankiness.

In the Actions column, jot down anything that you do like: rocking your baby, rubbing your baby’s back, humming or singing that tends to calm your baby. In the Accessories column write down anything else that helped calm your baby such as: her bouncer, swing, play mat, nap time, teething ring or pacifier.

Step #3: Developing your Plan

Begin to develop your Happy Baby Plan. Break your plan up into Home or Away so that your actions, to combat your baby’s crankiness, change with your circumstance. Get another piece of paper and title it: Happy Baby Plan. Write 2 columns with the following titles: Home and Away. Next, you’ll use the data from your observation week to design a full-proof plan to prevent or stop your baby’s whimpers and whines.

Step #4: Creating the Home Happy Baby Plan

Compile a list of the things that trigger your baby’s mood swings at home. If your baby tends to whine around 10:00am, but calms down when you rock her, this could mean that she’s over stimulated and 10:00am would be a good time for a nap or alone time in her bouncy chair. Try both to see which works best and put that on your plan. Many times babies tend to get upset when they’re tired so consider doing scheduled naps that happen at the same time each day. Babies thrive on a schedule. If your baby has had a nap, but gets cranky then this might mean that she’s hungry or has a wet diaper. Consider giving her a snack or scheduled feeding times to see if that stops her crankiness after naps. Put that on your plan.

If your baby’s not tired, diaper has been changed and she’s been fed, but is still cranky, this could mean it’s time to play! This is when you pull out some fun baby toys, music box or DVD and schedule a daily play time with your baby. If your baby tends to get upset around bedtime then consider a soothing bedtime routine like snuggle time or playing soft music and dancing with your baby, holding her tight. Holding your baby close to your body makes her feel secure and will help her to calm down. If this is how your day goes then your Happy Baby Plan would consist of the following: Scheduled naps at 10:00 and 2:00. Scheduled play time at 11:30 and 3:30. Scheduled feedings at 8:00, 12:00, 4:00 and 8:00. Dancing and cuddling at 9:00 then baby bedtime after that. Wet diapers can also make a baby cranky so change your baby’s diaper regularly.

Stop #5: Creating the Out of the House Happy Baby Plan

Start by preparing your baby’s diaper bag with all the needed essentials to carry out your plan. Get diapers, wipes, extra clothes, bottle and formula, pacifier, favorite toy, snacks, warm blanket and music box. Since you’ve already observed your baby’s mood swings then putting together an out of the house plan shouldn’t be too hard. If your baby tends to get upset when you’re in a restaurant, don’t feed her a bottle until she starts to show signs of uneasiness. Try a pacifier first and when she’s bored with that, pull out the bottle. The bottle will keep her occupied and make her happy so you can have a nice lunch with your friend. If your baby gets antsy with too much stimulation, place a nice warm blanket on your baby and put her in the corner of the booth at a restaurant or out of the hustle and bustle at your friend’s home. Put a pacifier in her mouth for extra comfort. For some reason sucking makes a baby more calm. If your baby doesn’t take to the pacifier right away, trying dipping it in formula first or dipping it in a little fruit juice. When your baby begins to get bored, that’s when you pull out the fun toy that has texture and makes sounds. This will give your baby something fun to do while you shop or socialize with friends.

Final Thoughts

Remember, to have a happy baby you first must know what makes her happy and cranky. Next, put her on a scheduled plan to prevent mood swings from occurring, but if they do happen keep those toys and accessories handy. If you want a good day on the town, save her bottle, pacifier and toys for those more cranky moments and when she’s happy, just let her be happy.