In this article, we will let you know about colic and ways to reduce colic in babies. Does your baby seem to go through a phase during the day in which they are inconsolable no matter what you try to do to calm them down? This is normal behavior for infants. It typically occurs between 6:00 p.m. and midnight, which is precisely when you feel exhausted from the day.
However, these phases of irritability may feel like a form of torment, particularly if you have other children who are demanding or if you have work to complete. To our good fortune, though, their duration is short. Read this article to learn about Colic and ways to reduce Colic in Babies.
Related: How Important is Nutrition While Breastfeeding?
What is Colic?
When a healthy baby is crying or fussing excessively for no apparent reason, it is considered to have colic. At least three days every week, the crying must continue for longer than three weeks. When your infant is sobbing, there is nothing you can do to stop it. Solving the problem of infant colic is a challenge for even the most experienced new parents.
However, a few weeks after birth, some babies may begin to cry. Between the ages of 4 and 6 weeks, it’s the worst. Three to four months old is usually the time when a baby’s colic subsides.
Symptoms of Colic In Babies
The baby may have colic if the weeping does not stop but becomes more intense and continues throughout the day or night. Colic affects approximately twenty percent of all infants, typically between the second and fourth weeks of life.
Infants suffering from colic have uncontrollable crying fits and frequently scream while extending or pulling up their legs and passing gas. Moreover, the crying episodes can occur anytime or at night, but they typically become more intense in the early evening.
What Causes Colic?
Colic’s origins are a mystery to medical professionals. Researchers have investigated a wide variety of potential causes. The following are some of the potentially relevant factors:
- Indigestion can cause discomfort in the form of pain or cramping.
- A digestive system that hasn’t reached its full potential Overfeeding or underfeeding might contribute to this.
- Sensitivity to either breast milk or infant formula
- Overstimulation
- The initial stage of migraine in children and adolescents
- Response of the emotions, such as fear, frustration, or excitement
Ways to Reduce Colic in Babies
A variety of factors may trigger colic. There are methods for avoiding these triggers. You can take various measures to calm your child and lessen their weeping. Here are some points that can explain the ways to reduce Colic in babies:
- Feeding your baby
- Holding your baby
- Comforting your baby
- Baby massage
- Give them a burp
- Changing baby’s milk
- Grip Water
1. Feeding Your Baby
- Check the bottles you are using. Are they anti-colic?
If you are breastfeeding a child:
- Keep note of everything you consume. Everything you ingest is transmitted to your child and can affect them.
- Caffeine and chocolate are stimulants that should be avoided.
- Avoid dairy and nuts if your infant has an allergy to them.
- Ask your doctor if any of your medications could be causing the issue.
2. Holding Your Baby
Sometimes, infants with colic respond positively to varied holding techniques or rocking:
- Hold your infant over your arm or lap while massaging their back.
- If your infant has gas, you should hold them upright.
- The evening is a great time to cuddle with your baby.
- Carry your infant while walking.
3. Comforting Your Baby
Try the following movements and stimuli to calm your infant:
- Increase skin-to-skin contact.
- Swaddle your infant. However, this requires covering them with a blanket.
- Sing to your baby.
- Give your infant a warm (but not hot) bath or place a warm towel on their stomach.
- Massage the infant. Ask your doctor for guidelines.
- Provide white noise with a fan, vacuum, washer, hair dryer, or dishwasher.
- Offer your infant a pacifier.
4. Baby Massage
The calming effect of your touch can work wonders on a fussy infant. Numerous infants enjoy skin-to-skin touch. And research suggests that infants who are massaged cry less and sleep better.
Simply undress your infant and massage their legs, arms, back, chest, and face with slow, firm strokes. It may also serve to calm you. Rub a gassy infant’s stomach in a clockwise direction or bicycle their legs to alleviate pressure.
5. Give Them a Burp
A fussing child can take in a significant amount of oxygen. However, this may cause them to become bloated and gassy, amplifying their sobbing. Give them a few light taps on the back to make them burp.
The traditional position, in which the baby’s head is draped over the parent’s shoulder, is effective, but it might leave a track of spit-up down the parent’s back. Change the order of things: You can sit your baby up or lay them down on their back over your lap. Lean one of your arms across your chest and neck to provide support.
6. Supplements
- Gripe Water
- Windi Gas and Colic Reliver
Gripe Water is a total game changer for fussy and babies with colic. It is to help relieve stomach has and discomfort, crying, hiccups and fussiness for babies. Learn more about it on Amazon or at your local grocer.
One parent stated the following:
“My daughter had a hard time sleeping from the very beginning. I barely got any sleep. I actually had never heard of gripe water until one of my coworkers mentioned it to me. Honestly, after trying everything I could read on the internet at the time I ran to the grocery store and bought it right away!”
Also see Windi products for gassy and colic babies. Please do you own research though and ask your pediatrician for any concerns and approval if necessary.
7. Infant Formula
If you find that your baby is uncomfortable most of the times, you may consider changing your baby’s milk. about 60% of people are lactose intolerant as a whole, however, about 80% of African Americans. There are milks for babies with sensitive stomachs and plant-based alternative.
Final Verdict:
Crying and fussing frequently occur or for an extended period. It typically begins when the infant is between a few days and a few weeks old.
Infants that suffer from colic are likely to spend extended periods fussing or grizzling, and they may also wail quite loudly, particularly in the evening. They may draw their legs up, wriggle, strain, and turn red or purple as a result of the discomfort. So, we hope you get enough Information about Colic and ways to reduce colic in babies.
