De niño, nadie me consolaba y yo mismo buscaba maneras de calmarme.

and

Breakdown of De niño, nadie me consolaba y yo mismo buscaba maneras de calmarme.

• me: me
• la manera: the way
• buscar: to look for

Questions & Answers about De niño, nadie me consolaba y yo mismo buscaba maneras de calmarme.

What does de niño literally mean, and why is de used here?

Literally, de niño means “as a child” or “when (I was) a child.”

• de + noun is a very common way in Spanish to express a time in life or a role:
  
  • de niño – as a child
  • de joven – as a young person
  • de adulto – as an adult
  • de estudiante – as a student

You could also say cuando era niño, but de niño is shorter and very natural in both spoken and written Spanish.

If the speaker is female, should it be de niña instead of de niño?

Yes. The word agrees with the speaker’s gender:

• Male speaker: De niño, nadie me consolaba…
• Female speaker: De niña, nadie me consolaba…

Everything else in the sentence can stay the same.

Why is there a comma after De niño?