There are more and more studies coming to the conclusion that it is likely that 16% to 22% of all babies will experience Colic at some point in there life.  It has also been determined that most babies will make it through this phase once they get past 4 months of age.  Unfortunately, before they reach this age, some parents will continue to experience a situation where their baby is going through periods where they will be crying all the time, especially through the night.  This can be miserable for the child, but equally stressful for the parents, which can send them scrambling for something, anything the will serve as a remedy for colic.  That may be the very reason that you are here, and hopefully by the time you finish reading this, you will learn something that will help you in your fight against colic.

The most effective remedies are anything that can soothe the baby to point where he/she will stop crying.  Generally, one of the most straightforward ways to do this is to relax them through some breast feeding.  It would be nice if this is all that had to be done, but there are a few issues that might prevent breast feeding from being the cure-all.  One of the obvious issues is that mother cannot be around 100% of the time.  And there are instances where for one reason or another the mother is not able to breast feed the baby.  In either case, a pacifier could be very effective in soothing the baby enough to get them to stop crying.

In some cases, a warm, soft touch is all that may be needed to calm the baby down.  It is often underestimated just how powerful the sense of touch is to a child.  Research has actually shown that newborns who are not touched an a regular basis (aside from carrying them from one place to another) are actually more susceptible to developing illnesses.  Knowing how important this is, it may serve you (and the baby) well, to pick them up, caressing their head, and rocking them back and forth.  Add to that a soft voice (a poem or a song) and you could have a very effective remedy for colic.

If you could breast feed, hold, and sing to the baby every minute of every day then your problems with colic have been solved.  But everybody knows that this just is not possible, especially is you want to keep your sanity.  So the next step is to continuously be on the look out for some music (tape, CD, and/or MP3) that the baby seems to respond to in a positive way.  This way when you can’t be there, you can always play the music somewhere near the baby’s crib.  It is important to set it at a low volume, because newborns are very sensitive to sound.  The idea is to calm the baby down, not to drown out their crying.  Besides gentle music has been known help a baby get some better quality of sleep.  It is a win-win situation for both the baby and the parents.

Another good colic remedy uses some ideas that were already explained.  And that is to give your baby a warm bath, being sure to using a gentle touch throughout the process.  Sometimes due to time constraints a bath is not really an option.  But you can simulate the experience by rubbing some warm lotion on them.  Anything that combines touch with a warming sensation will likely help the baby to calm down.

No matter what you choose to do make sure that you are always talking things through with your doctor.  A baby that is constantly crying may be a indication of something that is much more serious than colic.  Besides colic can be a very stressful situation for everyone and you need to make sure that you are doing everything you possibly can for your child.  Your doctor may have more options for you to try or even a prescription for a medicine (ie Simethicone) that will help you through the ordeal.

But there is something that is much more important than a crying baby, a natural colic remedy, or any medicine the bay’s doctor may be able to prescribe.  And that is that you must not lose control over yourself! The amount of stress that you could feel from a baby that never stops crying can seem insurmountable.  And there have been times when parents have given into that stress, leading them to lose their temper.  If this happens then your mood will change dramatically and your child will feel that, causing them to get even more upset.  In the most unthinkable scenarios, the situation has escalated to the point where the most loving parents have gone as far as to yell at their crying baby and/or even physically hurt them (ie shaking a baby).  No amount of crying ever deserves that! So always remember to keep your cool, gently interact with the baby, and everything will be fine in the end.

Related Blogs