Essential guide to newborn comfort
Understand your baby’s discomfort cues and how to soothe them with the right bottle and pacifier.
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Calm your baby's cries
Before they can speak, babies cry to communicate. Learn what their cries mean and how you can calm them.
Comforting your baby is one of the top priorities for any new parent. As you continue to support your little one, you're setting the stage for a positive and nurturing relationship.
More ways to soothe your crying baby
5 types of baby cries
Hungry cry
What it sounds like:
Long, low-pitched, and repetitive, with pauses in between.
What to do:
Offer your baby the breast or bottle and let them eat until full. Since crying is often a late sign of hunger, try to respond to earlier hunger cues, like clenched fists and lip smacking.
Calm your
baby's cries
Bottle-feeding comfort
Pacifier benefits
What you should know about colic
5 tips for introducing a bottle
Create a comfortable feeding experience
See how the right bottle can make your feeding journey easier, whether you’re breastfeeding (and pumping!), bottle-feeding exclusively, or a combination.
Pick the right time to introduce a bottle
If you plan to formula feed your baby, you can introduce a bottle right from birth, since babies have a natural sucking reflex. If you intend to primarily breastfeed, wait until your baby is 3 to 4 weeks old and breastfeeding is well-established before giving them a bottle.
Read why these experts recommend anti-colic bottles
Solution: MAM Easy Start
Anti-Colic Bottles
MAM Easy Start Anti-Colic bottles are recommended by medical experts
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See why this mom loves the MAM Easy Start bottle
Check out these 5 simple bottle-feeding tips
Fussy cry
What it sounds like:
Mild crying, on and off, intensifying the longer it goes on.
What to do:
Fussiness can occur if your baby is tired or uncomfortable. Check if your baby’s ready for a nap, if their diaper is dry, if they're too hot or too cold, or if they need a change of scenery.
Sick cry
What it sounds like:
Different from your baby's normal cries and may sound tired and weak.
What to do:
If your baby’s cries seem different or “off,” call their healthcare provider. Any crying that's persistent and unusual could be a sign of serious illness, especially if it’s accompanied by refusing to eat for multiple feedings, lethargy, a rash, or a fever over 100.4 degrees F (in newborns).
Pain cry
What it sounds like:
If your baby is in pain, they may suddenly let out a single, long, high-pitched cry. This may repeat as they continue to feel waves of pain.
What to do:
Pain-related crying may be linked to specific issues such as an ear infection, gas, or diaper rash. Look for obvious causes and check in with your baby's doctor.
Colic cry
What it sounds like:
Listen for sudden, painful cries, around the same time of day. Colic crying is defined as crying for at least three hours per day, for at least three days a week, over a minimum of three weeks.
What to do:
If you think your baby has colic, try to comfort them and consult your healthcare provider. Colic usually improves by 3 to 4 months.
A soft, naturally shaped nipple helps your baby accept the bottle, making the transition between breast and bottle easier. The smooth drinking flow supports natural feeding rhythms, reduces air intake, and aids in preventing gas, colic, and tummy discomfort.
Choose bottle with a natural-feeling nipple and smooth drinking flow
Baby’s developing immune system makes them more vulnerable to infection. Therefore, proper bottle cleaning and sterilization are essential to eliminate harmful bacteria and viruses. Selecting a bottle that’s easy to clean and sterilize helps keep your baby safe and makes feeding time easier for you—a win-win situation!
Choose a bottle that’s easy to clean and sterilize
Breastfed babies may prefer milk that’s at body temperature (around 98 degrees F). To bring the bottle to temperature, soak it in a bowl of hot water or use a bottle warmer.
Make sure the bottle is at the right temperature
MAM's bottle nipples feel natural to baby and allow for easy switching between breast and bottle
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Wide base with built-in anti-colic system reduces colic and gas and ensures a smooth drinking flow
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Easy to clean and self-sterilizes in the microwave in 3 minutes
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See why pacifiers offer lots of benefits for your baby.
Sucking for comfort
Have plenty on hand
Pacifiers often end up in all kinds of places, making regular cleaning essential for your baby’s health. Boiling them ensures they’re germ-free, or you can choose one with a self-sterilizing case for quick, hassle-free cleaning between uses.
Learn more about pacifier use here.
A self-sterilizing case simplifies the cleaning process
Babies can use pacifiers from birth. However, if you're breastfeeding, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests waiting until after your baby has established a breastfeeding routine.
Introduce a pacifier when the time is right
Expert tip
5 tips for using pacifiers
Pacifiers can easily get lost, dropped, or left in the car or at the doctor’s office. They also get used a lot and need to be replaced regularly. Keep plenty on hand at home and be ready with the next size. Babies grow fast!
Expert tip
As a mom of four, I offered all my babies the pacifier in the hospital as a way to help soothe. The most important consideration is that you aren’t overusing it, which can run the risk of missing a feeding cue. Establishing a good feeding rhythm is important both for baby’s growth and weight gain but also for breastfeeding mothers, if nursing.
-Meg O’Leary, Founder and Sleep Consultant at A Restful Night
Expert tip
Pacifier 101: A labor & delivery nurse answers important questions
Solution: MAM Comfort Pacifiers
Full silicone one-piece design that's flexible and extra lightweight, and a nipple with a slim profile
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The comfortable shield is made to perfectly fit baby’s tiny features
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MAM Comfort Pacifiers are developed with orthodontists to help support healthy oral development
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3 things you should know about pacifiers
Find out if sleeping with a pacifier is a good idea (Hint: yes!)
Soothing tunes
Soothing tunes for baby and you
Spotify playlist
See full playlist
The Happy Song
by Imogen Heap
Rainbow
by Kacey Musgroves
Harvest Moon
by Neil Young
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Talk to your baby and look into their eyes as you bottle-feed to bond and make them feel secure. You can also provide skin-to-skin contact, which can help babies relax and aid in digestion.
Discover more about how to introduce a bottle here.
Bond with your baby
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends giving pacifiers to your baby during sleep to reduce the risk of SIDS.
They also comfort and soothe babies while helping to develop sucking skills for feeding.
Pacifiers provide important benefits for your baby
Studies show that giving babies a pacifier when placing them down to sleep (in addition to following other safe sleep recommendations) significantly reduces risk of SIDS. Current evidence is so strong that AAP recommends offering pacifiers to infants when putting them down for sleep.
-Sarah Freeman, BSN RN, EFM-C, labor and delivery nurse, and mother of three
I always recommend using a pacifier that has a nipple with a slim profile, so the mouth can close naturally around it. MAM pacifiers are slimmer than others, which reduces the risk of developmental issues with the teeth, jaw, and palette.
-Dr. Jeremy Dixon,
Pediatric Dentist, DDS
Choose one that fits your baby’s mouth best
The MAM Easy Start bottle has revolutionized the way I help babies in the NICU achieve full feeds. In my 20+ years as a neonatal feeding therapist, I have repeatedly seen infants, who struggle with other bottles, feed well and gain necessary weight once they are using MAM bottles.
-Meg Cook, Infant (NICU)
Feeding Specialist
Expert tip
MAM Easy Start Anti-Colic Bottle
Includes self-sterilizing case:
Just add water and pop into the microwave for 3 minutes to disinfect
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