Having a newborn baby is hard enough, but this new time can be even more stressful when your baby is colicky. Colic is a condition that irritates your baby’s gastrointestinal tract. This can cause your baby to be more irritable and cry a lot more during those first three months. Usually, colic disappears after the three-month mark but tends to peak when your baby is 4 to 6 weeks old. Though there is no defined cure for colic, there are some things you can try to put your baby at ease.
Rock and Roll
The motion of rocking and rolling can be very soothing to a colicky baby. This can help steady their stomachs and help them to calm down. You can achieve this motion by walking your baby in a stroller, gently rocking their car seat while someone else drives, or swinging them on a swingset.
Swaddle
Many babies that are fussy respond well to swaddling, and colicky babies are no different. Try wrapping your baby tightly in a blanket or cloth. The feeling of being secure can help them to calm down.
Try The Colic Position
This position is proven to help reduce colicky symptoms in babies. You can do this by placing your baby’s stomach on your forearm and supporting their head in the crook of your arm. This will help to relieve some of the pressure that builds internally from colic.
Warm Baths
Warm water always helps an upset stomach. Try to bathe your baby in warm water more regularly during their colicky months. Also, try putting a warm washcloth or even light heating pad on your baby’s stomach when they seem to be in more pain.
Burp Regularly
Though gassiness is a separate issue from colic, many colicky babies suffer from gassiness. This can cause them to be in even more distress. Make sure that you are giving them plenty of opportunities to burp when you are feeding them. Try patting their backs and bouncing them up and down after you feed them to get out any leftover gas that might be remaining.
Make Noise
Playing any form of white noise or music can help distract babies from their pain. There are plenty of apps on the market that can play rain or ocean noises from your phone. These could be perfect to play lightly as your baby goes to sleep.
Massage Them
Lay your baby on his or her back, and gently massage their tummy area. This could help to work out some of the kinks and pain they are experiencing. Also, it’s a great way to bond with your baby even more.
Give Yourself A Break
Especially if it’s your first child who has colic, it can feel like you are failing as a mother because they are always upset. But you are not. You can not help that you have a colicky baby. And, from someone who was a colicky baby herself, I don’t remember a single thing from that time. If you do start to feel yourself getting overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to ask your husband for some help, or take a deep breath. You are doing a great job, and if you can’t comfort your child, no one can.
Ask Your Doctor To Adjust Your Diet
If you are breastfeeding, ask your doctor if there are specific foods or ingredients you should be staying away from. However, if you are bottle feeding, you might want to ask about different types of formula you could try. Though there isn’t an exact cause of colic, many doctors have credited colic symptoms to baby formulas that irritate babies’ stomachs, or food that the mothers were eating as they breastfed. It never hurts to check it out.
Just Hold Them
Sadly, there are going to be plenty of times that there is nothing you can do. You are simply going to have to hold your baby as they cry on and on. Though it might feel like you are doing absolutely nothing, soothing your baby and being there for them is going to make you more resilient as a mother. You will be able to get through this time. And, hopefully, because you got a colicky baby, that means the teenage years will be a breeze.
And for even more colic tips and to see where we got our information, check Parents Magazine out.
To find a solution to your problem, we have the reviews of the best baby bottles you can try with a colicky baby here.