How do I sooth a fussy 7 week old infant?

Question

Fussiness has just recently started and I'm not sure it's entirely due to gas. We are using special bottles and gentle formula but, infant will just start crying. Especially during the night time. Just cry and cry. It's heartbreaking and I really want to provide some kind of comfort. Daytime is better but not fussy free. Sometimes movement helps; using the infant swing or patting the baby's back. Other times seems like nothing helps.

Answer 1

When my kids were gassy I would heat a DRY burp rag in the microwave til it was warm then lay it on their tshirt (so it's not to hot) and lay it on their belly. It seemed to help w/gas. Also I would lay the baby on my lap belly down and rub thier back while rocking my legs back and forth slowly. The swing was a god sent! they loved that. Good luck!

Answer 2

Well, if it isn;t collic. Does your baby gulp it's food? Does the baby eat fast? Does the baby lose it';s grip on the nipple and suck alot of air? Burping is extremely critical at this age. The best way I found with my children was sitting them on my knee and holding under their chin while I patted their cute little back...and not just for a couple minutes...you gotta get all the air out of there or just like you, they get tummy aches.

If the doctor says not a medical thing, then I would say that the baby is in the process of training you to pick him/her up when they get fussy. They aren't as helpless as we may think, they know they like attention and they know that if they cry they can get it. Don;t let it sleep all day, play with the baby, give it all the attention it could possibly want DURING THE DAY. Keep a regular schedule. That is critical. When they cry, and they will, once you have determined that there is nothing wrong, let them cry. Not only is it good for their lungs, but they will eventually learn that it will not get them what they want.

If that doesn't work I guess taking it back for a refund of out of the question huh??

Answer 3

Well at 7 weeks he doesn't know that you want to sleep at night and that he should be sleping and not getting the same kid of attention he doesn in the day.

Does he have a pacifier, that helps. And so do gas drops sometimes, depending on what the problem is.

also would give him "Hylands teething tablets" (which are avalibable in wal-marts and natural food stores/co-ops) they are an all natural pill to help calm your child (there is no pain killers or downers in it, its just a tiny (to small to choke on) lactose pill that disolves SUPER fast in their mouth which contains camomille and 2 other herbs. Again these helped sometimes, but not always. Its trial and error trying to figure out what is bothering your babe.

But sometimes they are just lonely, scared, had a bad dream, or woke up and are so tired they can't go back to sleep. Even though you are tired and probably don't want to, sometimes its just simpler to stick your baby in a sling on your back and wash some dishes or something until your child gets tired again.

Answer 4

Like some of the others have said, Gripe Water, Enfamil Nutramigen, and swings/vibrating baby chairs help. The most amazing thing for us was swaddling. We had to buy the Amazing Miracle Blanket because she could get out of the other blankets...it worked wonders and she slept in it every night until she was over 3 months old. Another thing we used (and it's also suggested, along with swaddling, by Dr. Harvey Karp) is a Hepa filter right next to her crib. The white noise works wonders and it also muffles out other sounds that may wake the baby.

One more thing to consider...your baby may be hungry. Our little one was amazingly hungry at night and we had to feed her a lot more than the "average" baby.

Good luck! Before you know it you'll be potty training.

Answer 5

there's this dvd called the happies baby on the block. you can get it on amazon. pretty much it tells you the 5 "S" on how to sooth a baby.
Swaddle
Shhh (Shhh right in it's ear, it most emulates the sound the baby hears in your womb, which is about the volumn of a vacuum cleaner)
suck (pacifier)
side (put the baby on it's side on your lap w/ his head at toward your knees)
sway (while the baby's on your lap sway your legs back and forth and let his head bounce back and forth a little)

sometimes a baby just needs 2 or 3 of these and sometimes the baby needs all 5 at the same time. for more detail, you should buy the video- it's pretty cheap and it really helped us out

Answer 6

you know when you take a baby to the doctor as a newborn and the move and bend their legs up and toward their chest and they will sometimes toot! My youngest baby (10months) would get gassy at night when he was first born and I'd do these exercises.. and tummy time ! Worked like a charm!
You can also set on edge of a bed.. hold baby off bed in hands to wear he/she is resting in hands like a lil swing.. hold baby by legs and kind pull them upwardto where its easy for him to releaese gas! If you need more about what Im saying you may email me! [e-mail]! I have done this with several babies that were thought to be colic and I gurantee it worked on all the babies!!! Babioes also tend to be held like a sack of potatoes since new baby ....since new baby he or she needs to lay over your arm on belly and kinda walk around and bounce real gentle! HOPE THIS WORKS TAKE CARE!

Answer 7

Not that you could do it for very long but i have found this to work.... hold your baby facing you and you bend your knees quickly so you drop down a few inches then pop back up quickly but gently.

Try a wrap style carrier- "The Ultimate Baby Wrap" carried at babies r us for about 28 bucks

My husband could always quiet our son by doing this tribal chant thing..he would deepen his voice and go "heeyy ummm iiiiiii uuhh heeyy ummm iiiiii uuhh


and now we found out that my sweet little boy likes watching his dads heavy music dvds like sevendust, no matter how upset he is he will settle down and pay attention

place him tummy down on your forearm with his head either in your hand or in you elbow crook

good luck

Answer 8

First if you haven't spoken to the doctor about it do so.Now they have found that babies are feeling discomfort due to acid reflux. I just found this out. In the meantime if you have a blow dryer turn it on (away from the baby you only want the "sound" of the blow dryer). This sound along with running the vacuum cleaner does seem to calm babies down. Also try holding the baby in the "football hold" method and gently patting the baby's back. I have used these methods for my daughter. I used to be up 'till 3a.m.! Hope your baby starts feeling better.

Answer 9

This is going to sound odd, but my nephew is 5 weeks old and is really colicy and all day, my sister has to run the vacuum and he instantly stops crying and after 5 - 10 minutes he falls asleep. She keeps the vacuum running to make sure he's asleep after a little while she turns it off. I hope you try this, it works!

Answer 10

Sounds like a normal baby. Do your best to soothe him and ride the wave of parenting till it's over.