Thank you, Audrey's Bear, for sponsoring this post. I was selected for this opportunity by Audrey's Bear; the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Anybody that has been around us for the past month or so has known that our baby is not a quiet baby. Regardless if he is happy, sad, eating, or sleeping, he makes noises constantly. The thing that surprised me the most when we brought him home from the hospital was how unhappy he was most of the time. The boy cried for three weeks straight before showing us that he could be a happy baby at times. Although we have not mastered parenting by any means, we have figured out a few ways that has helped Ollie feel safe, warm, and comfort.
1. Noisy Nonsense
When it is noisy, Ollie does not feel like he can compete. Technically, a newborn is not really use to silence. Your pregnant belly is full of sounds like your heart pounding, the rush of your blood, and your noisy stomach. We have found that even the fussiest of days, Ollie is golden in a noisy restaurant where the white noise is fairly steady. He also loves outdoor parks and festivals where the mixture of the summer air and noises are ideal and calms him down.
2. Get rid of the gas
Ollie is a super gassy dude, and honestly, most breastfed babies are just full of gas. Making sure that he burps properly after eating and helping him pass gas keeps his cries to a minimum! It is amazing how long it took us to figure this out. Things that we do when we suspect that Ollie is crying from gas pain is first, rubbing his back while burping him. They also say that you can lay them down across your knees and gently rub on their backs.
If we have not just finished eating, we also bicycle his legs while he lies on his back. This helps him pass gas; however, make sure your baby has not just eaten. We have found that sometimes this makes them spit up a bit if the milk is still fresh in their little bodies. Finally, talk to your doctor about using infant gas drops. We opted to use gripe water instead of gas drops, but they have helped out tremendously! They even help sooth Ollie's hiccups which seem to discomfort him a lot as well.
3. Soothe with the 3 S's
Swaddle, snuggle, and strap them on! Different things work with Ollie at different times; however, snuggling up skin-to-skin the first few weeks has tons of benefits for bonding and breastfeeding as well as utilizing a baby wearing wrap to keep them close.
For Ollie, swaddling is key. I avoiding the fact that will be a day that he will no longer be able to be swaddled because it is the perfect remedy for us. We use a handful of different types of swaddles depending on if we are attempting a nighttime bedtime routine, laying him down for a nap or if we are on the go. My go-to swaddling blanket for around the house and on the go is Ollie's personalize blanket. It is so soft and an absolute perfect design with his name on it!
I found Ollie's personalized swaddle blanket on Etsy while I was looking for something that we could use for newborn photos but also something practical that would carry us through his infancy. I really wanted that go-to blanket for Ollie to have and feel comforted through his younger so it had to be durable and super soft. When I found Audrey's Bear, I just fell in love with her designs and a partnering cause called Swaddle4Swaddle. The Swaddle4Swaddle program is designed so that every time someone like you purchases an Audrey's Bear swaddle blanket, they donate a similar blanket to a baby in a NICU or a pediatric cancer center. How cool is that?
I absolutely love my swaddle blanket for swaddling and keeping Ollie warm which help him calm down at home and outside of the house. This blanket lives in our diaper bag and I get so many compliments on it! The best part about Audrey's Bear is that the shop is offering 10% off all month just for you!
Enter coupon code OLIVERHAYES during checkout and you will receive 10% off your order.
Soothing a baby is key when they are upset and fussy. There are plenty of more ways to comfort a baby and not even these things work on our Oliver some times. If everything else fails, we stick him in the car and go for a drive. Although this seems like the perfect plan, after a 30 minute car ride with a screaming child, you may reconsider. We have found that with our little guy he had a rough go-around figuring out life, and the crying did eventually stop. I hope some of my tips help you as well.
