Colic: what to do

All babies cry. It’s a normal part of development. When babies cry a lot, it’s often called colic. Here are some things you can do if you think your baby has colic.

When you think your baby has colic: what to do

The first step is to take your baby to your doctor for a check-up. This will make sure there’s nothing physically wrong. It will also reassure you.

Also, a child and family health nurse can check your feeding technique and let you know whether there’s anything you might be able to adjust. The nurse can also let you know about settling programs and early parenting centres in your area.

As a parent, it’s easy to feel that you have to look after your baby, keep a spotless home, work, shopping, cooking etc. . This is just impossible. You, your family and your baby will suffer if you’re feeling stressed from trying to do too much.

It’s very important to get enough rest, sleep and time to yourself, by doing this you’ll be in better shape to care for your baby.

Coping with colic: 10 tips

Crying and fussing is a normal part of development for most babies. It will pass in time. But here are some ideas that might help cut down on how often, how long and how intensely your baby cries and fusses:

  • Check whether your baby is comfortable. See whether his nappy needs changing, or whether he’s too hot or cold.
  • Offer a feed if you think your baby might be hungry, or if the last feed was more than two hours ago.
  • Offer a dummy or the breast. Sometimes your baby isn’t hungry but wants or needs to suck. If she’s 3-4 months or older, you could also help her find her own fingers or thumb to suck.
  • Speak softly to your baby, sing to him or play soft music. He might just want to know you’re nearby, and your voice might soothe him. White noise can also be soothing for some babies. You could try a fan, a vacuum, or a radio set to the static between stations.
  • Gently rock or carry your baby in a baby carrier or sling. Sometimes movement and closeness to a parent can soothe babies.
  • Take your baby for a walk in the pram. But note that it isn’t recommended to leave your baby sleeping unsupervised in a pram.
  • Try baby massage. Your family health nurse can teach you how to do baby massage.
  • Give your baby a warm bath. This might settle your baby and help her sleep.
  • Calm things down by dimming the lights, which helps to reduce stimulation.
  • Try to establish a pattern to feeding and settling.

You can experiment to see which strategies best suit your particular situation. Sometimes strategies that work well one day might not work the next day. If one of these strategies doesn’t work or stops working after a while, just try another.

These approaches won’t magically stop your baby crying, but they might make things easier.

You can’t spoil your baby by picking her up, or by cuddling or talking to her. Feed your baby whenever you think she’s hungry, and pick her up to comfort her when she’s crying.

Other Treatments such as colic medications and mixtures, chiropractic treatment are not of proven help.

Measure such as probiotic supplements, changing mother diet ,anti reflux medications and changing formula are rarely justified and only follwing consultation with your doctor.

When to see your GP about colic

It’s a good idea to see your GP early on if you think your baby has colic. If you’ve seen your doctor and you’re still concerned about your baby’s behaviour, it’s OK to talk with the GP again.

You should definitely see the GP again if:

  • the strategies above don’t help with your baby’s crying
  • your baby seems listless or pale
  • your baby isn’t feeding well or gaining much weight
  • your baby has a fever
  • your baby has persistent vomiting or diarrhoea
  • you’re afraid you might hurt your baby
  • you’re worried for any other reason.

Tests for colic

Investigations like blood tests or X-rays rarely find any problems in babies with colic. The only time your baby would need tests is if the doctor thinks there might be an illness or infection that’s making your baby cry.

Prevention of colic

Colic seems to be a common phase that many babies go through. This means it’s difficult to prevent.

Very young babies who are carried a lot (using a sling), even when they’re not crying, have a tendency to cry and fuss less.