5 Reasons a "Just Gas" Baby Loses It Between Five and Nine
For the parent who was told it is just gas
5 Reasons a "Just Gas" Baby Loses It Between Five and Nine (and the one thing that stays warm)
By a mother nine weeks in.
It is ten past seven. Dinner is going cold with the fork laid down. She has pulled her knees up, gone rigid, and is doing the cry that goes right through you, the one that started at six and will stop, if the last two weeks are anything to go by, somewhere around nine. You have already been told what it is. Babies cry. It'll pass. Just gas.
All true. None of it shorter than three hours.
This list is about why a "just gas" baby keeps such a reliable schedule, why the drops and the gripe water and the washcloth each did a little and then stopped, and what the one thing that actually helped has in common with all of them.
What each fix actually does
| The band | Gas drops | Warm washcloth | Heating pad | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Touches the tummy where it hurts? | Yes, warmth + gentle pressure | No, goes in the stomach | Yes, briefly | Warmth only, no wrap |
| Stays warm through the fussy hour? | Re-warmable pad | - | Cold in about 4 minutes | Plugged in, not portable |
| Needs a hand to stay in place? | No | - | Yes, the whole time | Yes |
| Nothing swallowed, nothing plugged in? | Yes | Swallowed | Yes | Cord and plug |
| If it doesn't help? | 30 nights, full refund, keep it | - | - | - |
| What it costs | $45 | $8-$15 a bottle, ongoing | Free, and a hand | $20-$40 |
1. "Just gas" keeps a schedule, and the schedule is evening
If the crying arrives at the same time every night, that is not bad luck. A newborn's gut is immature, she swallows air with every feed, and what goes in during the day works its way down and is hardest to pass by evening. Weeks four to eight are the peak, because she is eating more but her gut has not caught up. That is why it is worst between five and nine, why it is worst in week six, and why it is not you. A mother on a forum put it in one line: gas works its way through over the day and gets so painful and hard to expel. The schedule is the tell that it is gas.
2. The drops go in the stomach. The gas is further down.
Drops, gripe water and probiotics all go in one end and hope. Some babies get a little relief; plenty of parents report the opposite: "gas drops always made my girl spit up," "gripe water caused my LO to projectile vomit." Bicycle legs and tummy massage are closer, because they work from the outside on the belly itself, and they stop the moment your hands do. None of the things in the medicine cabinet touch the tummy from outside for more than a minute. That is the pile most families have "done it all" with by week five: "gripe water, belly massages, bicycle legs. You name it, we've done it."
3. The washcloth, the bath and your chest all work for the same reason
Notice what the fixes that do work have in common. A warm washcloth on her belly. A warm bath. Skin to skin on your chest. Warmth relaxes the tummy, and gentle, even pressure helps things move. Pediatricians have been suggesting "warmth and gentle pressure on the abdomen" for decades. What nobody hands you is a way to keep it there. The cloth is cold in about four minutes. The bath ends. Your chest is warm and holds her evenly, until you put her down, and then she is cool and loose, and it starts again. Parents call this the warmth drop. The fix was never the warmth. It is keeping the warmth there.
Bonus: what is actually in the box
| Part | What it does for the baby |
|---|---|
| Minky Dot wrap | Soft against skin. No chemicals, drops or fragrances. Nothing is swallowed. |
| Removable red bean pad | Warms in about fifteen seconds, reusable. Steady, gentle warmth right on the tummy. Test on your wrist first. |
| Wide wrap-around band | Light, even pressure all the way round, over the onesie, with nobody's hand needed. |
| Sized 0-12 months | Adjusts as she grows. Machine washable. |
| Free guide ebook | Emailed with every order: how to warm it, when to use it, what to expect. |
4. Hands-free is the actual feature
The band is a cuddly-soft Minky Dot wrap with a small red bean pad inside. You warm the pad for about fifteen seconds, test it on your wrist like a bottle, and wrap the band snug over her onesie. Then it stays. That sounds small until you remember what the washcloth cost you: a hand, for the whole of the fussy hour. With the band on, one of you eats while the other holds her, or she lies on a play mat and nobody holds anything. Parents who use belly bands say the same things: "Works really great specially during witching hour." "The warmth is what soothes their stomach." "It helps so so much with his gas."
5. It is not a miracle, and it comes with thirty nights to prove it
It does not stop every cry. It does nothing for hunger, a wet diaper, reflux or a milk intolerance, and crying with fever, vomiting or blood is a pediatrician, not a band. Some babies do not settle to warmth at all. For a "just gas" baby the honest win is not three hours to twenty minutes; it is ninety minutes of fussing down to twenty-five, which is the difference between an evening you can do and one you cannot. So the offer is built for doubt: thirty nights from the day it arrives, a full refund if it is not helping, nothing to send back. You keep it.
The TummyHush Belly Band, $45
Three for $90 (buy 2, get 1 free): one on her, one in the wash, one in the diaper bag. Free US shipping over $70. Ships in 24 hours.
- ✓ Steady warmth and light, even pressure on the tummy, hands-free
- ✓ Minky Dot wrap, removable red bean pad, nothing swallowed, nothing plugged in
- ✓ Fits 0-12 months, machine washable
- ✓ Free guide ebook emailed with every order
- ✓ 30-night guarantee: full refund if it doesn't help, and you keep it
30-night money-back guarantee. No return required. You keep the band and the ebook.
What parents said
Real comments from parents using belly bands, quoted as written, names shortened.
Questions parents ask
Is the heat safe on her skin? The pad warms in about fifteen seconds. Always test it on the inside of your wrist first, like a bottle: warm, not hot. Start with less time than you think.
Is it a heating pad? No cord, no plug. It is a warm red bean pad inside a soft Minky Dot band that wraps over the onesie and stays put.
Can she wear it with a swaddle or sleep sack? It goes over the onesie and is for the fussy stretch while you are there with her. It is not bedding; follow your usual safe-sleep guidance for overnight and ask the pediatrician if in doubt.
What age is it for? Newborn to around 12 months. The band adjusts as she grows.
What if it doesn't work for us? Email within 30 nights of delivery and you get a full refund. Nothing to send back.
See the band that stays warm →
Published by TummyHush. Nothing on this page is medical advice. Crying with fever, vomiting, blood in the stool or poor weight gain is a call to the pediatrician.