How to Soothe Your Fussy Newborn: From An Experienced Hampshire Newborn Photographer
Newborn Photographers have quite a few tricks up their sleeve and are well known “baby whisperers”, we have years of experience soothing babies to sleep so we can have a calm, happy baby for the newborn photography session! So how do we do it? These are all tricks for the newborn stage as newborns have had quite a shock leaving the comfortable womb they’ve been in for 9 months, it’s all about trying to replicate the cosy place they were in! While many so called “sleep experts” might discourage rocking or soothing, this will not cause any “sleep crutches” or “bad habits” later on if your sole purpose is to comfort your child. I love doing newborn photography sessions in your Southampton home as I find babies are calmer and more content in their own environment!
1.) White Noise– Newborns love noise, they find it calming and it helps them sleep easier because for 9 months they have been used to the constant noises in the womb of their mother. They heard voices, the gurgling of mum’s stomach and everyday sounds like trains, cars etc. Having a white noise machine playing when baby goes to sleep helps them know it is sleepy time and helps so you don’t have to worry about being too quiet around them, it isn’t fun tip-toeing around the house!
2.) Swaddling– I highly recommend swaddling your newborn if you are interested in getting some sleep! While many midwives recommend no swaddling because it can block feeding cues there are all sorts of swaddles on the market that help solve this problem. Your newborn was tightly wound into a ball in the womb with their limbs being close to their face and it can feel quite scary for them when they are born to reach out and their reflexes often scare them awake! I highly recommend the Love to Dream Swaddle Up and Air Woombie for some of the best swaddles on the market.
3.) Temperature– It is really important to be cautious of baby’s temperature as being too cold or too hot can cause them to be unsettled. Midwives recommend that they wear one more item of clothing than you are as they really feel the cold more than we do in those first few weeks, especially in damp Hampshire!
4.) Movement– Gently rocking a baby to sleep is helpful when you are struggling to get them to sleep and they are overtired. They are used to constant movement and swaying in the womb with mum’s walking and moving so they find this quite soothing!
How to Help Baby Wind and Gas
My 3.5 month old gets the worst gas for two hours every single evening, never fail. I’ve tried every tip and trick to help soothe him so that he feels more comfortable and goes to sleep. Newborns and young baby’s bowels are still immature and not easily able to rid themselves of gas or bowel movements. Sometimes they need a bit of help to soothe them. Here are a few tricks to try for newborn and baby wind:
Bicycle Legs– Cycling your baby’s legs gently like they are riding a bicycle helps to get their bowels moving and push out gas. My own baby loves this when I turn it into a game and sing to him.
Foot Reflexology– I tried this out of desperation and it often really works! According to reflexology, there are different pressure points on the feet that relate to certain parts of the body. The middle part of the foot is related to the stomach and bowels. There are many videos on Youtube out there that help you perform the foot massage safely on your newborn. There’s this great hack for the foot massage on Instagram that helps show you how to do it!
Gripe Water– Always ask your doctor if Gripe Water is safe to use on your baby under a certain age. I’ve found that it does help my baby pass gas. I think the dill ingredients help to get things moving for him!
Frida Baby Windi The GasPasser– This is a great hack that many of my clients suggested when I asked for help with my baby’s gas on instagram. It is a little disposable tube that is inserted into your baby’s bottom and helps to pass wind (like the thermometer trick that older generations used) safely. This was created by a gastroenterologist so it is completely safe. It really helped my baby boy pass wind!
Colic Carry– The colic carry is a great move for helping baby feel more comfortable and helping to push the gas out of their belly. You put baby on their stomach on your arm and carry them around. My baby loves to be rocked in this position and often falls asleep in it. Here’s a Youtube Video showing you how to do it!
Tummy Time– You’ve heard that it is important to do tummy time with your little one to strengthen their core and neck muscles but did you know that it also helps baby pass gas? The pressure and movement on baby’s stomach helps things get moving quickly!
Tummy Massage– Massaging baby’s belly in a clockwise motion with gentle pressure helps get things moving in the direction of the intestinal tract. Bringing out the moisturiser and body oils can also help baby relax. There’s so many great videos on YouTube and TikTok on baby massage!
Are You Worried About Your Newborn Being Difficult in Your Newborn Photography Shoot?
A common question I get asked prior to a newborn session is, “What if my baby doesn’t behave during the session?”
This was often a bit more difficult during posed prop studio session but with lifestyle I truly have no trouble. I’ve got over 8 years of experience with newborns and a lifestyle newborn session is so natural that it is just like a regular day with your newborn, loads of cuddling and feeding! I love the relaxed vibe of a lifestyle session, it feels like getting together with an old friend and we go completely at baby’s pace.
1.) I’m trained and know how to soothe baby– I have over 8 years of experience with newborns and have photographed over a thousand newborns. I’m skilled at soothing and calming babies and have many tricks up my sleeve like swaddling, white noise and warmth. Calming a newborn is just second nature to me and I feel like I’ve even got a certain way to sway with baby to calm them down!
2.) We let baby take the lead- The beauty of a lifestyle session is that we don’t have a set number of props, colours or poses to get through. My Southampton newborn photography sessions are very organic and flow naturally from room to room to capture baby in a genuine way. This means we can stop for extra cuddles and feeding as they are entirely the boss of the shoot.
3.) Baby can be awake or asleep- In more posed types of newborn photography it is important that baby is asleep for safety reasons but with a natural lifestyle newborn session this does not matter. I actually love when baby is awake as this gives us amazing interaction with the family and gorgeous eyes open shots that showcase their big personalities already! They might be teeny tiny but they have massive personalities!
For more answers to your questions check out my Newborn FAQs page!