Soothing baby is a much discussed topic with new moms. You really have to try different things to see what works for your baby.

After having two babies, I pride myself in having the “magic touch” when it comes to soothing baby.

When Pinkie Pie gets fussy, my husband typically defers to me to get her soothed. Here are some tips that I have learned over the past four years:

–Swaddle. I have to say neither my husband or myself mastered the art (yes, it’s an art) of using a blanket and tightly swaddling your baby. I have to say that I cheated and bought the Velcro swaddle blankets. I had four of them ready to go since I learned from PP that they are high usage items for the first three months.

–Holding baby. Not very enlightening I know, but when I would swaddle Pinkie Pie then hold her close to me, it helped her calm down.

–Calming music. I bought (and received) a bunch of classical music and lullaby CDs when I was pregnant with PP. I have to say, I think it calmed me the most since I looked forward to holding my babies, while rocking them on my glider. Another good option is a white noise machine since you have the options of heartbeat, ocean waves, nature sounds, and lullabies.

–Rocking. I loved (and still do) rocking in my ottoman while holding my baby.

–Back Patting. This usually works the best while I stand and walk around while holding my baby over my shoulder & gently pat her back. Pinkie Pie also likes when I hold her cradle style and pat her back that way too (I usually do this before I place her in the crib).

–Swinging. Some babies love swings, some don’t. My babies have both been swing babies. You can find traditional swings or other swings that have alternate motion to help customize your baby’s soothing. Also, don’t forget you can use your arms to gently sway your baby to sleep.

–Singing. Luckily for Pinkie Pie, this is something that I usually don’t do it (it’s my mom’s favorite thing to do). But for some people, softly singing or humming to their baby does the trick.

–SShhhing. This worked really well for PP. I would swaddle her, hold her close to me, then make a SSHHing noise in her ear. Sounds weird, I know, but the sound is supposed to be similar to what babies heard in the womb.

These are my tried & true soothing tips. What worked for you?

Here is a quick run down of my round-the-clock use of Graco products:

7:15 am: Pinkie Pie starts to stir…I hear her starting to chat, basically saying, “Get me out of here!” through the Graco imonitor digital monitor

7:20 am: go into Pinkie Pie’s room & turn off her Graco humidifier & her music playing in her Graco Sweet Slumber.

7:25 am: depending on if Pinkie Pie has the sniffles (which she does now), I use our Graco NasalClear to clear out the stuffies

7:30 am: down in the family room, change Pinkie Pie’s diaper on her Graco Pack n Play

7:40 am: secure Pinkie Pie in her Graco DuoDiner highchair while I get her breakfast ready. I let her play while I prep her meal then settle in next to her for meal time.

8:00 am: momma needs some hands-free time to clean up breakfast so Pinkie Pie plays in her Graco Baby Einstein Activity Center. Pinkie Pie likes to “stand” and play so this allows her to do just that.

8:15-9:00 am: Pinkie Pie typically has more play time with me & her big sister, PP, then she starts to get a little sleepy..time for her next nap. Off to the Pack n Play for a diaper change & a nap.

11:00 am: once Pinkie Pie is up after her nap, she gets a bottle then relaxes in her Graco sweetpeace. At this age, she likes to listen to the music & play with some toys (when she was younger we used to use it more as a soothing swing).

12:00 pm: lunchtime! back in the highchair for some stage 1 fruit. Once lunch is over, Pinkie Pie & I have some snuggle time, then she hangs out in the Graco Doorway Jumper to get some baby exercise.

1:00 pm: diaper change in the Pack n Play, another bottle then off for another nap. Pinkie Pie is such a good sleeper–I am lucky!!

3:00 pm: Pinkie Pie is up & after she is changed, she hangs out with me & PP in her Graco Bouncer. As Pinkie Pie gets older, she doesn’t like to sit in a bouncer for too long (it was a life saver when she was newborn) and now she sits & plays with some toys & board books. We get ready to head out for a trip to the mall. For the quick trips, I use the Graco Snugrider stroller frame, but when we head to the mall, I usually use the Graco Quattro Tour stroller (more room for shopping bags & Pinkie Pie likes to sit in the stroller seat at this point vs. the car seat).

3:30 pm: secure Pinkie Pie in her Graco SnugRide 32 infant car seat & snap her into the car (Big Sis is riding in her Graco Nautilus). We’re using the Quattro Tour since we went to the mall, and I’m thankful for the space it gives me (huge storage basket, cup holders for my fountain soda, compartments for my keys & cell phone to keep them handy). PP sometimes gets tired too so I will hold Pinkie Pie & let PP lounge in the stroller for a while.

6:00 pm: dinner time..back in the Graco DuoDiner for dinner prep time & feeding time. I love the wheels on the highchair since I have Pinkie Pie stationed at the head of the table with some toys to play with, then I wheel her to my seat to feed her some veggies.

7:30 pm: bath time with PP (which is probably the favorite thing for both girls to do). Get Pinkie Pie all nice & clean, put her in her cute “jammie jams”, put the humidifier back on, classical music back on, bottle time then off to dream land…I grab the parent receiver of the monitor then head down for some quality time with hubby (which means reality TV time!!).

I might work at Graco, but these are also the products I use as a mom everyday. I can say as living proof that they make having a baby a little bit easier!