Any advice for a first time mom with a colicy kid

Lisa - posted on 06/15/2009

check out pediasleep.com, we bought a cd of a vacuum cleaner sound and it was a real life saver....best 12.00 we ever spent.

Devanie - posted on 06/12/2009

My sister-in-law had me read The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp and once I learned the techniques I was able to calm my daughter in a matter of minutes and she started sleeping 6-8 hours in the night without waking up.

Kristin - posted on 06/11/2009

Gripe water worked wonders for us and swinging. We also burped Grissom every few ounces. A hot water bottle wrapped in a towel on their belly works ok too. Grissom is just now getting over colic... just be patient and take some time for yourself as well... don't feel guilty about taking a break... have a friend come over to hold the baby while you take a hot shower or a walk. Everyone will get through it, I promise!

Monica - posted on 06/11/2009

My son was colicy. I agree with the moms on the block feeding. Also I did an elimination diet. If you want the elimination diet foods to avoid let me know, I also have great recipes. If all else fails and you have a non-stop cryer, (this may sound morbid but it was what I did when my son was a baby) when I could handle no more crying I would think about what I would be doing in that crying moment if I knew he was going to die. It made me clam down and enjoy the crying, I endured it for many months! He is now 4 and happy and healthy!

Chona - posted on 06/11/2009

I tried Colic Calm, Swaddle, Swing, Shhsh, Suck. I hope that helps.

Heather - posted on 06/11/2009

Quoting Monique:

buy Fennel seeds steep them like you would a tea, bottle feed 2 to 3 ounces twice a day! It worked for me!

This worked wonders for me as well! And my sister in law ! It works really fast too.  It is also a main ingredient in Gripe Water which you can get almost anywhere.

Jackie - posted on 06/11/2009

Also burp more often. Its okay to stop nursing on one side.. burp and put them back on that side. If you are suplementing formula it might be a good idea to look into your family history and your husbands for milk allergys/lactose intolerance. If there is a history of it concider switching to Soya formula. Lactose free won't help if there is a milk allergy. If you are solely nursing also a good idea to lower your milk intake.

Alma - posted on 06/10/2009

i second the block feeding and elimination diet, i however highly discourage supplementing with formula unless you are looking to wean. Also for babies that are breastfed and not used to formula... it generally makes it worse.

Caroline - posted on 06/10/2009

I agree with Lisa. The block feeding did make some of a difference for us. He was still fussy and gassy but not quite so bad. Make sure you have a good latch too because that can contribute as well. My son is a bit tongue-tied so I think that contributed as well. We never had a weight gain issue though so the pediatrician didn't want to clip it. I think genetics play a role cause my husband has delicate stomach and frequent problems with his bowels too.


Plus, baby's personality affects things too. My sister has a reflux-y baby that never says two words of complaints but my child came into this world screaming mad. The nurses at the hospital said they'd never heard a newborn scream so loud and long before. Everyone else always had a solution. And believe me, we tried almost all of it. Nothing ever made a huge difference. Age has been the best thing. Once he got upright and more mobile he was much happier. Even at a year his is gassy but in general he is a very happy kid.

A lot of people will blame colic on being breast fed. Kid ends up wean and STILL is colicy. So, don't let people talk you into weaning. Some babies are just that way.


Other things you can try is an elimination diet. I tried it but again really didn't see a difference other than I was crankier cause there wasn't much I could eat that I wanted. But, I guess it was worth it to know that I wasn't really the cause.

Good luck. I feel for what you are going through. It will get better eventually.

Robin - posted on 06/10/2009

There was a small study that showed a huge improvement in decreasing crying in babies who were given acidophillus (probiotic)...like, greater than 95% improvement! It comes in capsules and you can break one open into a bottle of expressed milk.

Minnie - posted on 06/10/2009

The majority of colicky symptoms in exclusively breastfed infants is the result of a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. Baby is getting too much foremilk, which is very high in lactose, and it sits in his belly causing the gassiness. Block feeding is how you fix it- nurse on one side until it's sufficiently empty (you cannot easily squeeze milk out) for multiple feedings and then switch to the other side for a few more feedings.

http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVSep...

http://www.llli.org/FAQ/oversupply.html

Most doctors and many lactation consultants aren't aware of this.

Shannon - posted on 06/10/2009

my dr told me newtramodin its formula but you can supiment it, it helped me a lot when my 3 yr old was colicy, it was so bad my mom had to take my daughter at the time was 2 and a half

April - posted on 06/10/2009

that was something my husband read but we weren't sure how to give it to my daughter.

Monique - posted on 06/10/2009

buy Fennel seeds steep them like you would a tea, bottle feed 2 to 3 ounces twice a day! It worked for me!