Baby Colic

Having a colicky baby is every new parent’s nightmare. Baby colic is defined as a baby who cries for no apparent reason, even though the baby feeds and is otherwise healthy, for three hours a day, three days a week, for three weeks. Among doctors, this is known as the “rule of three.”

There are a few different causes for baby colic, all having to do with the digestive system. Baby colic is usually caused by gas, by an immature digestive system, by the baby swallowing air or by trace substances passed through the mother’s digestive system and into the breastfed milk.

How can you remedy baby colic?

Here are a few tried and true methods.

• Colic Calm Gripe Water

This is the main product on the market. It’s completely homeopathic, meaning it doesn’t contain any unnatural chemicals. Its primary ingredients are baking soda and essential oils.

Mothers who’ve used grip water have found its success rate to be quite high.

Gripe water can relieve your baby’s discomfort in just a few minutes after ingestion. Keep in mind that it should only be used when necessary, as baking soda can upset your baby’s stomach’s acidity balance.

• Cleaning Up Your Diet

If your baby is breastfeeding, try cutting dairy, chocolate, nuts and cruciferous vegetables from your diet.

Your baby could be intolerant to cow’s milk or other forms of dairy products. Trace amounts could be making their way to your baby through your body.

The same applies to chocolate, nuts and cruciferous vegetables, which can turn into gas in your baby’s stomach, causing distension and discomfort.

• Switch Baby Formulas

If your baby is using a baby formula, consider switching formulas.

Make sure to talk to your doctor before making any decisions.

• Give Your Baby a Massage

Get a book or two on baby massages. Giving your baby’s tummy a nice, relaxing massage can really help calm your baby down.

Also try giving your baby a warm platypus to hold. Put warm to hot water inside the platypus, wrap them in soft blankets and let your baby hold it against its stomach.

This should always, always be done with adult supervision. Platypuses aren’t baby-safe, they can be toxic if chewed and can leak. The warmth can help relieve your baby’s discomfort, but never leave a baby alone with it.

• White Noise CD

Get a white noise CD. A white noise CD is basically a recording that sounds like what your baby heard while it was in the womb. This will help calm your baby down.

These CDs can be purchased online, or at a baby store.

Any one of these techniques can cure your baby’s colic. It’s also possible that none of them will work and you’ll just have to wait it out. Start by trying gripe water; then if that doesn’t work, experiment with some of the other techniques.