Five Ways to Soothe Your Baby

I love my babies. Every single one of them are so special and unique in their own way. They all have adorable personalities and I could eat them all up. BUT. You knew it was coming. I’ve talked about it before here and here, but Hampton had colic between 2 and four months. It was seriously the most challenging time of my life. I can honestly say that he screamed from 5pm to 2am every single night for 2 months. I was sleep deprived, cranky, postpartum, and moody. Add a screaming fussy baby in that and it was downright miserable.

Sophie came along and slept through the night as a newborn, so we were very blessed with her. We did decide to be better prepared for her and bought everything we would need for a long night of screaming – just in case she was colic, too. Even though she was not a colic baby, she would get fussy from time to time.

Weston is a great baby. He doesn’t sleep through the night yet, but he is a genuinely happy and content baby. I am so thankful for that and am still crossing my fingers it stays this way. Whenever my babies get fussy, I go through my process of elimination. Are they hungry? Need a diaper change? Sleepy? If they are none of those things, normally they just want to be held. Regardless, with three kids three and under, I can’t have an extremely fussy baby. I just can’t. So, here are the things that help make my babies (and me) smile when they are fussing.

Five Ways to Soothe Your Baby:

Wear them. I love to wear my babies. Weston loves to be held. He likes to be near me at all times. It makes sense. Little babies like to be close to their mama. It is where they have been for 9 months. Nursing babies, especially. You are their comfort, their food source and basically their everything at this point. When I wear West in my ergo or Solly Wrap, he is a happy camper!

Gerber ® Good Start® Soothe Infant formula and Gerber Soothe® probiotics Colic Drops – I supplemented with Gerber® Good Start® Soothe formula towards the end of Sophie’s first year and she loved it! It is easy on their tummies and makes for a happy baby. I have also used the Gerber Soothe® drops with Weston and they really have helped when he is super fussy. We used them the most during his first two months and haven’t used them as much lately, because like I said, he is a pretty content little guy (thank goodness)! The drops contain probiotic L. reuters which are safe for infants and support healthy bacteria in their digestive system.

Rock them. I know that it is important for the baby to cope with being put down from time to time, but rocking them is sometimes the best and only thing for them in those fussy moments. Being next to you is where they are happy and content. Don’t feel guilty for taking all the time you need to rock your baby and hold them because these moments are fleeting and pass all too quickly.

Play a sound machine. All three of my babies love their sound machines. Hampton and Sophie each have one in their rooms and it helps block out noise and calms them.

Swaddle them. I have always loved swaddling my babies in their blankets, but this time around has been different. While Weston loves to be swaddled, he is also a strong and chunky little man. He could bust out of the tightest swaddle at 2 months and that is what turned me to the sleep sack. I am totally obsessed with it! He can’t get out of it and it is so easy to put on. It has simplified my life because I no longer have to re-swaddle him all night long.

What works for you?