When your baby isn’t eating, sleeping or being absolutely adorable, chances are she’s crying. If your baby is already a few months old, you can probably decipher some of her cries, and you’re beginning to get in tune with what she needs.
However, if you’re a brand new mama with a newborn, crying fits can rattle your nerves. Don’t feel bad though, because we’ve all been there. I didn’t buy into the concept of a “colicky” or “fussy” baby until I had one. Oh boy, could my son cry! It lasted for hours. At some point, my panicky feelings subsided and I created a mental checklist of things to try to soothe him.
I also realized, sometimes there really wasn’t anything wrong with him — he was just being a fussbudget. I mean we all have bad days, don’t we?
Burp that baby
The one thing I learned quickly as a mom was that a burp or two or three were always in my baby’s immediate future. Even after burping him sufficiently, if he started fussing and squirming, I’d burp him again. That wasn’t always the cure to a crying fit, but it did help him work out gas bubbles and calm down. A burp was usually hiding in there somewhere.
Check the diaper area
Even if you just changed her diaper, she may need a new one. Sometimes babies will surprise you with how quickly they can go, even if they just went! If your baby is upset, check her diaper to make sure her bottom is clean and dry. Don’t rush through the diaper change — let her air dry and apply a thick layer of Boudreaux’s Butt Paste® for added protection and prevention.
Skin-to-skin contact
This is something I heard from other moms all of the time. They’d say when a fussy baby starts to spiral into a crying fit, try skin-to-skin contact. Make sure your baby can rest on your chest and feel your skin and your heartbeat. The warmth, closeness, smell, touch and familiarity can help put your baby at ease.
Swaddles that soothe
Just like skin-to-skin contact may calm a fussy baby, swaddling can also calm a baby by giving her a feeling of physical security like she felt in utero. Remember, newborns don’t know how their limbs work, so they can easily scare themselves with their own arms and legs, especially when cries start to escalate.
Hit the road
A change of scenery can help ease a fussy baby, so you may take an impromptu car ride together. The smooth vibrations in the car seat and the hum of the car may work together to provide a soothing environment for a fussy baby. It may do the trick if your fussy baby is over-tired—babies notoriously doze off in the car.
Gripe water to the rescue
Products like gripe water, derived from ingredients like ginger seed extract and fennel seed extract, can provide immediate relief from tummy woes. Little Remedies® Gripe Water can be administered up to 6 times in a 24-hour period and doses can be repeated after 30 minutes, which makes it ideal for feeding schedules.
Baby massage
You don’t need to be certified masseuse to ease your baby’s fussiness or discomfort with a gentle “I Love You” tummy rub. Put your baby down on her back, then start rubbing her chest/tummy in a circular motion and mimic writing the letters “I,” “L” and “U” with two or three fingers across her belly. If your baby starts to relax and calm down, it could be that the gentle movement in her tummy is helping her pass trapped gas bubbles.
How did you soothe your fussy baby? Share your #lifehacks with other moms in the comments section on our Facebook page.
