Newborn Q&A | Questions about newborns

My baby is niggly and struggles to settle – is this due to winds?

If he’s fed and had a nappy change chances are good that he still has a wind. If he falls asleep just to wake up after a few minutes and continue doing this, it might be a wind that keeps him from settling.

Winding can be tricky and most babies struggle with winds at some stage. There are different winding techniques that you can try. A magic winding remedy is Telament drops. This is safe to use on babies of all ages. Add the drops to his bottle, in his mouth or a drop or two on his dummy before feeding.

It’s been said that breastfed babies may get less winds than bottle fed babies. This being said, it doesn’t mean that breastfed babies won’t struggle with winds. If you are bottle feeding your baby, make sure that you are tilting the bottle enough for the milk to cover the teat completely. This will reduce the amount of air baby swallows.

How do you know your baby has a wind?

• It might look like they’re smiling but they are actually grimacing due to the discomfort
• Might appear restless and sleep for only a few minutes just to wake up unsettled
• Their tongue might be in an ‘up’ position opposed to being relaxed
• He might stop drinking during a feed and appear unsettled

If you have been winding him for 5 minutes and haven’t been rewarded with a wind, he might still be hungry.