Baby Insights: Sleep Can Be Noisy!

Noises and Movements

Newborns can be noisy! Especially in their sleep during the morning hours between 4 – 6 am. Some parents find it helpful to sleep with a sound machine in the room with them and baby to drown out some of the noise. Babies can make a variety of sounds in their sleep throughout the night, and usually I’ll describe these and other movements as such in my log notes to parents:

wiggle (side-to-side, and can include leg kicking/lifting)
grunt (can be quiet to loud; part of active sleep and/or digestion/passing gas; squeaks can be included here)
fuss/fussy
cry

Noises and Gas

Noises and gas start to pick up at night around 3 weeks old in my experience with most babies, and sometimes it takes up until 8 weeks for babies to become a bit more effective at passing gas in their sleep- so lots of wiggles, leg kicking, and grunts can be warranted!*

*Some health concerns, like reflux, may contribute to more fussiness and crying, so consult with your pediatrician with additional questions or concerns.

Noises, Gas, and Soothing: My Approach

Usually I’ll let baby work through most wiggles, grunts, and a brief amount of fussing to see if they’ll pass gas on their own or if these may be part of active sleep. Sometimes I’ll help baby with a brief tummy massage and knee lifts to tummy¹. If fussing continues and/or crying starts, I’ll check closer on baby. This mostly includes holding baby to see if that settles them or if they need to burp. If settled and still sleeping, I’ll place baby back in crib and sometimes the change of position helps them pass gas. There are times when babies pass gas close to the time when they’re hungry, so continued crying with or without rooting² can mean baby’s ready to eat. On some occasions if baby seems gassy, I’ll give them a pacifier if the parents are okay with using them since sometimes sucking can help with gas.

Additional tips for gas:

tummy time (on floor or your chest) during the daytime
wonky winding³ (holding baby facing out on their left side)
rolling baby onto left side
warm bath
tummy massage
warm washcloth on tummy

Some parents may note an improvement with gas drops, but make sure to have a conversation with your pediatrician first!