Helping Your Fussy Baby

All babies are fussy from time to time, but some babies seem to be

fussy more often than others. These babies don’t have colic, and

they also don’t have any medical concerns. They’re just. . .fussy!

Identifying fussy factors

Here are just some of the culprits that can make your baby fussy:

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 Overstimulation

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 Understimulation

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 Hunger

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 Tiredness

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 Loneliness

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 Being too hot

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 Being too cold

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 Diaper rash

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 Food allergies

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 Thrush

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 Wet/soiled diaper

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 Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

We could go on and on with this list, but we’re sure you get the

point: Your baby could be fussing over a lot of different things.

One important reason your baby may fuss is that she may not be

getting her needs met. If you have a baby who needs to be held a

lot, and she is kept in a mechanical swing or car seat for most of

the day, you are going to have a fussy and unhappy baby.

Keep in mind that your baby is fussing in order to tell you some-

thing. You may not understand what she is telling you, so she gets

more frustrated as she is trying to get her needs met and whatever

you offer her is not what she is asking for.Offering comfort through

touch and massage

Fussy behavior can often be progressive. If you respond to your

baby’s requests early, you may manage to avoid your baby becom-

ing upset. But if your baby has been telling you for a while that

she needs something, and you haven’t responded until the fussy

behavior intensifies, you will have an upset baby to calm down.

Keep a log of your baby’s fussy times. If you find that she fusses

during a particular time of the day, plan ahead to give her a relax-

ing massage during that time. Relaxing her ahead of time may make

her forget to be fussy.

Chances are that if you have been massaging your baby on a fairly

regular basis, you are attuned to her needs and will respond to her

requests promptly (before they become high pitched demands!).

However, all babies (and adults, for that matter) do have fussy

moments from time to time. Here we list ways to use touch and

massage to calm and soothe your fussy baby:

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 Wear your baby in a sling (see Chapter 1).

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 Nurse in motion — nurse your baby while she is in a sling and

you are on the go.

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 Nurse frequently.

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 Sing to your baby while you rock and gently dance with her.

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 Carry your baby in the football hold (which we describe in the

section “Massaging to ease colic” earlier in the chapter).

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 Hold your baby over your shoulder and, with your free hand,

make Raking strokes down his back (see Chapter 7).

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 Place your baby sitting up on your lap, facing out. Push her

forward a little (while your support her with one hand), and

with your free hand make small circles down her back in a

clockwise motion.

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 Take a warm bath with your baby, followed by one of the

after-bath massages