Does your baby have colic? Are you looking for effective baby colic remedies? Go through this article to find about ways to treat colic…
Is your baby’s uncontrollable crying giving you sleepless nights? If these bouts of crying seem to have become a everyday story and all your efforts to console your child seem to be going down the drain, then there is a great possibility that your little one might be suffering from infant colic. Infant colic or baby colic is not a disease in itself, it is just a condition that affects some babies. The symptoms of baby colic start appearing in the second or third week after childbirth. If your baby seems to cry for extended periods of time daily and this has been going on for more than a couple a weeks, then you must consult a pediatrician soon. Though this condition is temporary and the symptoms generally last for about 3 months, it’s very distressing for parents to watch their little one in this condition. Parents often feel guilty about not being able to put an end to their child’s misery. Watching your child turn red due to excessive crying does stress one out, but instead of blaming yourself, you must try all possible ways to provide comfort to your child. Here’s some information on the symptoms of baby colic along with ways to alleviate the same.
Symptoms and Causes of Baby Colic
Is your baby’s incessant high-pitched crying is robbing you of your mental peace? You must quickly find out if your child has colic or not. Let me tell you about the symptoms of baby colic. Besides crying persistently for long stretches of time, infants suffering from colic appear to be fussy and irritated. Generally such high-pitched crying occurs around the same time daily. During these crying spells, infants generally clench their fists or curl their knees closer to their stomach. The baby’s stomach might be distended or bloated. It has been seen that most babies pass gas during these episodes of intense crying. As far as the causes of infantile colic is concerned, it is believed that a sensitive and immature digestive system might be responsible for infantile colic. It’s possible that your child is unable to digest the proteins present in breast milk or formula. Women who smoke during pregnancy are also likely to give birth to babies with colic. If your baby has been crying without any reason and you are having a tough time consoling your child, you can follow baby colic remedies.
Home Remedies for Baby Colic
If your baby is colicky and you are looking for ways to provide comfort to your child, here are some home remedies that might help.
Try Baby Massage
Massage your baby’s stomach in a clockwise direction and then curl the knees towards the stomach in a gentle manner. This will surely provide relief. This is important because babies swallow a lot of air during these crying spells. A gentle massage will help in releasing the gas trapped in their stomach. Bathing your child in warm water might also help.
Burp After Feeding
Infants who are bottle-fed generally swallow a lot of air, therefore, make sure that you burp your baby after feeding your baby. Many parents have a hard time getting their baby to burp, as a result, gas gets trapped and causes discomfort. If you are facing such problems, make sure that you find out the method of burping which works best for your baby.
Change Baby Food
It’s possible that your baby’s immature digestive system cannot process the proteins found in breast milk or formula, therefore, consult a pediatrician regarding baby food. Get a hypoallergenic baby formula, it might do the trick. Breastfeeding mothers must also be careful about their diet. Make sure that you find out more about foods to avoid while breastfeeding. Make sure that your diet doesn’t include a lot of dairy products.
Play Music
Try to distract your child. Playing soothing music is one way of doing that. Singing a lullaby to a colicky baby might also help. Generally a background noise will divert their attention. Babies love to be held, it makes them feel safe and loved, so rock your baby in your arms while singing. Try different positions and see which one works. You could also place your child in a vibrating crib.
Use Gripe Water
You can also give gripe water to your baby. This is one of the best remedies that is used all over the world. Gripe water is basically a herbal infusion. Dill, chamomile, fennel, peppermint, ginger or caraway are some of the herbs that are present in gripe water. These herbs are known for their ability to provide stomach gas relief. Though gripe water or colic drops are easily available at pharmacies, you could also use gripe water recipe to prepare gripe water at home.
If your little bundle of joy is in pain because of colic, you can use any of the aforementioned remedies. Infantile colic is not a serious condition and doesn’t harm your child. The symptoms will disappear after a few months, so, there is no need to worry. You just need to follow the baby care tips recommended by the pediatrician.
