8 survival tips for baby colic

I felt it very necessary to cover colic in the baby survival guide because when my baby had terrible colic, I couldn’t find any really useful tips for dealing with it. I really had to find out the hard way.

Colic is normally diagnosed in babies that cry intensely for extended periods of time and cannot be settled. They often pull their legs up to their chest as if they are in pain and normally have their fists clenched. Their faces go bright red with all the screaming and honestly look like they are in terrible pain. These crying episodes often begin in the early evening and go on for many hours

My baby had terrible colic. He once cried from 3:30 in the afternoon till about 11:30 that night. But I had a lot of trouble trying to find anything out about how to treat it. Some people don’t even believe that colic exists. I read a few books and articles stating that colic was just an ‘unsettled period’ in the evening and was mostly due to over stimulation. Supporters of this position believe babies receive so much stimulation during the day, that by the time evening rolls around, they are just over stimulated and can’t handle it anymore and just crack! Others believe the old ‘baby wind’ theory and try and encourage you to do all sorts of things to relieve your baby’s wind. This left me really unsure of where to turn, so I pretty much tried everything. Here are a few things that worked for me:

Colic tip #1

Take your baby outside.

This helped me so much. I don’t know if it was the fresh air, the change of environment or just the distraction, but this really helped in the early evening for me. It was made much easier however, as we were during day light savings at the time, but try to get out as much as possible in the early evening with you baby. Just show them around the garden or take them for a walk. It worked wonders for me.

Colic tip #2

Sing to your baby.

This is really helpful when it’s late evening and you can’t go outside. Your baby will love the sound of your voice, and even if he continues to scream, it will still be calming him somewhat. He is used to the sound of your voice from when he was in the womb so it is very comforting for him. It can also help you focus on something else too and alleviate some of the stress you will no doubt be feeling. Swaying or rocking your baby will also help.

Colic tip #3

Carry your baby in a sling.

This is great for when you need to get some things done and your baby just won’t settle. If you put your baby in a sling, he will be calmed by your movement as you go about your chores and will be soothed by your heart beating. This is also much easier than pacing whilst holding your baby, as your arms won’t get tired.

Colic tip #4

Put your baby in a motorized swing.

These are well worth the investment. This worked for me when all else failed. The rocking motion of the swing is very calming for baby and often you can adjust the speed of the swing to suit your baby’s preference. Swings are really good if you are trying to prepare an evening meal. You can pop your baby in it and they can watch what you are doing and you can supervise them fully.

Colic tip #5

Give your baby a warm bath.

This tip really came to my rescue a few times. The warm water is very familiar and great for soothing your baby. My baby found it even more soothing if I went in the bath with him, where I could breastfeed him also. I always made sure that someone else was around if I went in the bath with my baby just in case I needed a hand or something went wrong. But of course, you could chose to stay out of the water and just let your baby enjoy some time in the tub by himself (with your constant supervision, of course)

Colic tip #6

Don’t over feed your baby.

This is addressed in detail in one of my other posts, but no one ever told me that you can over feed your baby - I was actually told the opposite. If colic is caused by wind, I definitely think that this was a contributing factor to my baby’s colic because once I started to space out my feedings he really started to settle down. It makes sense too. If a baby already has a bit of wind and then you keep on feeding him, it’s only going to add to his discomfort. Look for other ways other than feeding to comfort your baby like giving him a pacifier or trying one of the other tips listed.

Colic tip #6

Get your baby checked by a doctor for excessive wind or reflux.

For a along time I thought that my baby’s colic was just caused by wind, but after a few months without any change, I took him to a doctor where the doctor put him on a treatment for reflux. It is hard for me to know whether the treatment worked or whether he just grew out of his colicky behavior, but it did seem to help a little. Often reflux will not always present with excessive vomiting. My baby hardly spat up at all, but did have some silent reflux (where the acid from the stomach travels back up into the oesophagus causing burning and discomfort). It’s always best to get your baby checked if you feel his behavior is just not right. I am glad I did because the treatment the doctor prescribed did help somewhat.

Colic tip #7

Share the comforting with someone else.

This really helped me, because sometimes, you just can’t handle the crying anymore and you need someone else to take over. Enlist the help of someone else, either your partner, a parent or a friend whom you trust. My husband and I used to take it in turns, kind of like tag team, when he had had enough it was my turn and vice versa. Not only is this advantageous to you as a caregiver (it gives you a well deserved break) but it is also advantageous to your baby. Often you can spend hours trying to settle your baby, only to find your partner or mother does it in a few minutes. Babies often respond to different comforting techniques from different people - and this can vary from day to day.

Colic tip #8

Try to relax and remember it won’t last forever.

I know you are all going to hate me for writing this because I hated it when people told me this. I know that it is absolutely no consolation for you while you are experiencing it, and you feel like it will never get better - but trust me, it does. Whether it be because babies digestives tracts mature and they no longer have wind or reflux or because the baby just out grows the behavior, but it does eventually get better. Normally colicky symptoms tend to subside around 12 weeks. This was pretty spot on with my baby. He really started to come good at around 10 weeks. But of course every baby is different and it can last longer. Just try to take one day at a time.

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