Both Henry and Edie had that dreaded nighttime colic as babies and I was always desperate for some relief. Here are some ways we’ve found to soothe them, and how we continue to soothe Edie as an opinionated toddler with big emotions.

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This post is in partnership with Munchkin and their latch pacifiers. Designed with pediatric dentists and moms, it’s lightweight, easy to hold in their mouth and one piece so the germs don’t get built up in the tiny cracks. The heart shape fits perfectly under their nose.

1. When Edie and Henry were really little they both loved movement during their fussy hours at night. One thing that I loved doing is wearing them in a wrap like the Solly, or a carrier like the Ergo and doing something with a lot of movement and noise, like the dishes, vacuuming or cleaning up things around the house. It makes sense because in the womb that’s exactly what they were doing: curled up tight along with your movement and noise. The fourth trimester!

2. An added layer to this movement trick is getting out the house and getting fresh air. Something about a big change in scenery helped my kids a lot. I know babies have so much to learn and process in the home, but I still think they sometimes get bored sitting in the house all day and that must contribute to their evening fussiness. This still works with Edie in the car! We open the window and she immediately perks up.

3. The exercise ball. One of those exercise balls is such a help to get both of my kids to relax as infants. I swaddle them up tight, give them a pacifier and bounce on that thing. It’s a good leg workout too!

4. Edie loves music, as many kids too. There is a cd from her music class that we listen to together in the car sometimes when she’s feeling sad, upset, or bored in the car and it works like a charm!

5. In a pinch, a pacifier has been a godsend for both of my kids.  Sometimes when your kid is screaming in line in the grocery store or having a tantrum in the car because they can’t fall asleep, it’s the only thing you can do. And we generally try to get rid of them by the time they’re 2 1/2 and can communicate really well. Sometimes it does feel like one more thing you have to search the house for before bed it’s still worth it! We keep a jar of them on hand in her room so we don’t lose them as easily.

Pacifier clips are a huge help with since they make it almost impossible to lose. I have a DIY to make a braided leather one from last year that I still use sometimes when we’re traveling or camping and I just can’t afford to lose that binkie on the road.

Here’s the thing though, a couple months ago I starting finding Edie with pacifiers all the time around the house and starting worrying about her getting too attached to them. It got a little out of control, so we had to lay down the law! I told her that the nanas (what she calls pacifiers) are only for bedtime and we showed her how to leave them in her bed. It took a couple days of complaints from her but she now puts them in bed by herself.

This has made the pacifier more special so in situations where she’s really upset or when we’re traveling we can be a bit more lenient with the bedtime-only rules and it feels like a really special treat for her.

Of course sometime she still finds them around but she knows the rule. Yesterday morning I found her in the corner, facing the wall in her room. I walked over to see what she was doing and found her sucking on a pacifier, hiding! What a little sneak! She had a big tantrum when I took it away but that doesn’t happen too much anymore.

How do you soothe your babies? Do pacifiers do the trick sometimes for you too?

Thanks to Munchkin and their latch pacifiers for sponsoring this post. Photography by Liz Stanley