Decoding Baby Mysteries:

Signs, Remedies & Your Instincts Taking Over  

Babies don’t come with an instruction manual—though every new parent wishes they did, When they cry, squirm, or fuss, it feels like a guessing game with no obvious answer key, But here’s the secret: your instincts will kick in.  

The more you observe, the more you’ll start recognizing patterns, tiny cues, and behaviors that tell you exactly what your baby needs. This guide will help you navigate the early months with confidence, humor, and practical wisdom.

Signs It’s Time to Change Your Baby’s Formula

Not every formula is the right fit—sometimes, babies struggle with digestion, and their little bodies give clear signals it’s time to switch things up. 

✅ Frequent spit-up or vomiting beyond typical reflux.  

✅ Excess gas or bloating, leading to fussiness after feeding.  

✅ Sudden eczema or rash, which may signal a sensitivity.  

💡 What to Try: If symptoms persist, talk to your pediatrician about gentler or allergy-friendly formulas that might work better.  

Surviving Colic: The Crying Phase No One Warns You About 

Colic can feel like an endurance test, with hours of unexplained crying despite every effort to soothe. If your baby shows signs of colic, brace yourself for a wild ride:  

✅ Crying for more than 3 hours a day, at least 3 days a week.  

✅ Arching the back, stiffening limbs, and refusing comfort.  

✅ Peak fussiness in the late afternoon or evening. with no clear reason.  

💡 What Helps: Try swaddling, white noise, tummy massages, and frequent burping. Sometimes, holding your baby in a colic-friendly position (like upright against your chest) can bring relief.  

Diaper Rash: How to Treat and Prevent It

Diaper rash is inevitable, but  (no pun intended) you don’t have to struggle with managing it. Here’s how to keep irritation at bay:  

✅ Frequent diaper changes to keep skin dry.  

✅ Barrier creams with zinc oxide for maximum protection.  

✅ Warm baths with baking soda to calm redness.  

✅ Oatmeal Soaks: No need to DIY—just grab Aveeno Oatmeal Bath for a quick, mess-free solution.  

💡 Avoid baby wipes with alcohol, and if rashes keep returning, consider switching to cloth diapers.  

Teething Clues: What Your Baby’s Subtle Behaviors Mean

Before their first tiny tooth appears, babies start showing clear signs that teething is underway:  

✅ Tugging on their ears or rubbing cheeks.  

✅ Smacking hands against their face or nose.  

✅ Runny nose and a mild temperature (~100.6°F).  

💡 What Works: Try chilled teething toys, frozen washcloths, or gentle gum massage to ease discomfort. If your baby’s temperature climbs above 100.6°F, don’t panic—it’s likely just a mild virus or infection, easily treated with rest and fluids.  

Baby Sleep: Myths, Tricks & The Truth

There’s no one-size-fits-all sleep approach, but there are a few parenting tricks that can make bedtime smoother.  

✅ Side, Back, or Stomach?** Babies should **sleep on their backs** to lower the risk of SIDS, but side-sleeping can be a great transition after they doze off.  

✅ Noise is Okay! A completely silent environment creates a bad habit—instead, let your baby get used to normal household sounds while sleeping. Womb sounds, heartbeat noises, or gentle white noise help comfort babies without needing total silence.

💡 And the biggest myth? That you shouldn’t hold your baby to sleep.

Shut up, seriously. Holding your baby to sleep is bonding—it’s how they learn security, trust, and routine. I sang nursery rhymes (soft, repetitive tones) until my babies started nodding off. Then I’d place them on their side, put on the Mommy Mommybear womb sounds, and pat their little diaper butts until they were fully asleep.  

✅ The key to sleeping through the night is a routine:

🔹 Feed.  

🔹 Play.  

🔹 Bath (Johnson & Johnson’s Lavender Soap for extra relaxation).  

🔹 Read a short book.  

🔹 Snuggle.  

🔹 Singing & soothing.  

🔹 Bed.  

💡 This consistent bedtime routine helped my kids sleep through the night, and it made nighttime a peaceful ritual instead of a nightly battle.  

The Power of Maternal Instincts

Motherhood isn’t just about following parenting books—it’s about learning your baby’s unique cues and trusting your gut.  

Even when babies cry with no clear reason, parents start picking up on the little things—a certain cry for hunger, a fussy whimper for sleep, or an ear tug that means teething.  

Instead of overthinking, lean into your intuition—because chances are, you already know what to do.  

Conclusion

Parenting is equal parts patience and detective work, but you’re more prepared than you realize. Babies may not come with instructions, but they do leave clues, and every parent learns to decode them in their own way. So take a breath, trust yourself, and know that you're doing an incredible job.  

Enjoy a cup, 🫖

~Honey 

Disclaimer
The parenting advice shared on Tea With Honey comes from over 40 years of firsthand experience. However, I am not a licensed medical professional. For health-related concerns, including serious medical symptoms, always consult a qualified doctor or pediatrician.

Trusting Instincts: The Foundation of Healthy Baby Routines

Becoming a mom at 20 wasn’t the shock that people expected it to be—if anything, it felt like a natural continuation of the caregiving role I had played for years. From babysitting to helping my grandmother, watching over my disabled aunt, and even stepping in when my own mother fell ill, I had already navigated the world of nurturing long before I had a child of my own.  

So when my daughter was born, I didn’t look for parenting books, unsolicited advice, or a checklist of what I was “supposed” to do. I just **knew**. The structure she needed, the comfort she craved, the way she communicated—it all felt second nature.  

That didn’t mean the journey was without its challenges. My mother, ever the control freak, constantly tried to tell me how to raise my daughter. My husband? Hilariously clueless, but willing to learn (and, to his credit, became an incredible dad). And while the outside world expected me to struggle or feel overwhelmed, I never did.  

This confidence shaped the way I established healthy routines from the start—because parenting wasn’t about following someone else’s rulebook. It was about creating a rhythm that worked for us.  

Building a Rhythm: The Healthy Routines That Worked  

Since parenting felt natural to me, I didn’t overcomplicate things with excessive books, advice, or trendy methods. Instead, I followed my instincts and observed what worked for my daughter. The routines we established were built on consistency, comfort, and intuition—not rigid schedules, but predictable rhythms that kept her secure.  

Sleep: I wasn’t about the endless battles of sleep training. Instead, I focused on soothing signals—consistent bedtime cues, soft sounds, and a comforting presence. My daughter knew when it was time to sleep because we created a calm, predictable transition, not because I forced a schedule on her.  

Feeding: Whether breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, or transitioning to solids, I paid attention to her cues. She told me when she was hungry, and I **trusted her timing** rather than forcing a strict schedule. Routine developed naturally based on her needs.  

Daily Flow: Every day had its rhythm, but it wasn’t about the clock—it was about patterns. Morning meant wake-up cuddles, mid-day meant movement and engagement, and evenings meant slowing down. She thrived on predictable comfort, not rigid expectations.  

Through it all, I kept one key philosophy. Parenting wasn’t about control—it was about connection. My mom hated that I didn’t ask for advice. But I didn’t need to. I wasn’t overwhelmed, because I wasn’t trying to force motherhood into a mold. I let it unfold. And my daughter? She responded to it beautifully.  

Parenting Instincts: Trusting What You Know

One of the biggest lessons I learned early on? Trust your gut.

When my daughter was spitting up excessively and her bowel movements didn’t look right, I did what any parent would do—I voiced my concerns. But instead of a thoughtful discussion, I was met with condescension. A pediatrician who saw my age before he saw my capability, dismissing me with textbook explanations that assumed I was the problem, rather than acknowledging something might actually be wrong.  

But here’s the thing—I knew my baby. I knew she wasn’t just spitting up because of bad feeding habits, and I knew that this wasn’t “normal.” So, instead of blindly accepting a dismissive answer, I made the call myself: I switched her formula to soy. And just like that, the excessive spitting up stopped, and her bowel movements looked normal again.  

That moment shaped my parenting philosophy forever. I learned that experts aren’t always right, instincts aren’t just guesses, and most importantly—no one knows your baby better than you do.

Final Thoughts: Parenting by Instinct

Motherhood didn’t come with a manual—just instinct, experience, and a refusal to let anyone tell me what I should be doing. From the moment my daughter was born, I trusted what I knew, even when others doubted me.

And that’s the lesson I’ll always stand by: Experts don’t always get it right. Advice isn’t always necessary. And instincts? They’re worth listening to.

If I had ignored my gut, my daughter would have stayed sick longer than she needed to. But because I trusted what I knew—what I had learned from caregiving long before I became a mother—she thrived.

Parenting isn’t about proving yourself to the world. It’s about knowing your child, trusting yourself, and following what feels right—no matter who tries to tell you otherwise.

If you have a relatable story, I'd love to hear from you. 

Grab a cup, 🫖 & let's chat

~Honey