I’ll never forget the first week that we brought Harlan home. It was honestly one of the toughest weeks of my entire life. I was trying to adjust to life as a mother with this new person that was my sole responsibility and doing my best with little to no sleep. She was always so fussy and it seemed as if nothing would calm her down. It was when I took her to the pediatrician that he told me she suffered from colic. I was nursing, so the first thing that I did was change things in my diet that would help relieve some of the gas. There were also some other things that I tried at home that seemed to work. Thank goodness for natural remedies!
1. Babywearing: I never fully understood the magic of babywearing until I had Avery and it was the only way I could navigate public transportation in the city with two little ones on my own. Every single time I’d put her in our carrier, she would fall asleep. It was amazing. With Macks being a super fussy baby that always wanted to be held, babywearing was the only way that I survived by myself with all three kids at home. I still wear him on a daily basis, especially during the witching hour when he’s super fussy. Babies need that contact and babywearing is the easiest way to give them that while still being able to get things done!
2. Massage: When Harlan had horrible colic, a massage was one of the first things that I did to try to naturally relieve her discomfort. I’d grab some infant massage oil and gently rub my thumbs in a circular motion across her body, especially on her belly. I’d also try the “bicycle kicks” which was said to help relieve the gas.
3. Gripe Water: The number one recomedation from my pediatrician and mommy friends was to try gripe water to help relieve the gas. Little Remedies Gripe Water was always in our house because it a natural and safe way to help ease the tummy pain. Now if the girls have tummy pains (which is usually gas,) I’ll give them the Little Remedies Gas Relief Drops . You can easily add these drops to a bottle or a glass of water and it helps make their tummy feel better.
4. Burp, Burp, Burp: Yes, it can get annoying. Especially at those 3am feedings, but if your little one is the gassy type, I cannot tell you how important it is to make sure they are fully burped. Because I was nursing, I’d always make sure to burp after each side.
5. Try Something that Moves: I always tell every new mom, “Thank goodness for baby swings.” We got a swing when Harlan was born and while she liked it, I was always afraid that if I put her in it too much that it would spoil her. I look back and laugh at myself now because that swing saved me with both Avery and Macks. Any time that they were fussy, I could put them in the swing and it would immediately give them some sense of relaxation. For some babies, including Harlan, they love the comfort and vibration of a car ride. It would be 3am and MacKay and I would take turns driving around our neighborhood with Harlan in her car seat trying to get her to calm down and sleep. My two city babies, however, couldn’t stand being in a car seat.
6. White Noise: Before I knew that actual white noise machines existed, I would run the vacuum cleaner and the blow dryer for Harlan to try to get her to calm down. When Avery was born, someone gifted us a white noise machine and now I’ll never use anything else. We have one in all of the kids’ rooms and I am really thinking about getting one in our room. For babies, white noise reminds them of being in the womb and it brings them comfort. It’s a nice relaxing sound for them that will help bring some calmness to a high-stressed situation when all your baby wants to do it cry.
What has worked for your fussy or colicky baby?
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{This post is sponsored by Little Remedies. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. And thank you for supporting AMITC.}
