I would call myself a natural parenting mother. We try to do things in our house as families have done them for centuries. While we have to sift through some of the old cultural practices that are now considered harmful, one area we have ensured we have stuck to is how to manage a crying baby.

With our increasingly busy lives, many baby books have changed with our culture and encouraged mothers to leave their babies to exhaust themselves with their crying and cry it all out. I tried this once with my young baby, and found I just could not do it. Every part of my body instinctively wanted to pick my baby up and rock her to comfort her.

I have to admit my babies are not big criers. Perhaps that is because they were held so much, or perhaps I have been very lucky. However, there are many ways to sooth your baby without leaving him to cry alone in a cot

Try some of the following after you have checked to see if they are hungry, wet or cold:

1. Put them in a front pack. We used this with our second child who loved it. We were travelling and often had to be out all day. She would fall asleep with the gentle movement of my walking, and sleep for a lot longer than if I tried to put her down somewhere. The front pack kept her close to me, and I could still get things done.

2. Give them a suck Some children need to suck more than they feed. Give them a clean finger to suck, direct them to their own thumb, or perhaps use a dummy (I never liked to use a dummy, it just looked so big on her little face!) Let them suck themselves to sleep.

3. Go for a walk or a ride Sometimes babies need the constant motion that a pushchair or car can offer. Strap them in and take them out. This can also be good if you are feeling a little frazzled- there is nothing like getting out the house if the baby just won't stop.

4. Give the baby to someone else Sometimes the baby can pick up on your tension. If you have someone else to hold your baby for a while try it. That is what parents and families are for- to help raise your child together.

5. Take a bath Run a warm bath or pop in the shower with your baby. The warm water soothes many children, and it relaxes them enough to get then smiling again.

6. Sing them a song Sing to your baby. It gives you something to do besides tearing your hair out, and they love music, especially the sound of your voice. You don't need to sing in tune- they don't care. Just sing gently and quietly.

7. Give them a pat You will need to make sure you keep this reasonably gentle! Lay your baby across your knee and pat their bottom gently, or hold them over your shoulder and pat them on their back. Try to keep a rhythm to it. Singing and patting often go well together.

8. Rock them. Either hold them firmly and rock them side to side, or place them in a baby seat and swing them to and fro. You can also try putting them in a pushchair and rocking them back and forth over a bump.

9. Wrapping Many babies feel more secure when wrapped. Mothers in many cultures have down this for centuries. He'll feel warm, safe and, if an active baby, this prevents him from waking himself up with active arms.

There are many different methods of stopping the crying that can bring comfort to our children, and keep us from feeling too burnt out and tired ourselves. If you do start to find it is all getting too difficult, talk to a friend or relative and get some support. A baby that cries all the time can be hard to spend all of your time with!