One of the main problems with babies who cry a lot is excess gas. The first thing I usually try is giving my baby Simethicone drops. These can be purchased at any drug store and come under the brand name of Mylicon Drops. These drops immediately calm little gassy stomachs and can be given up to 12 times a day. If you know that your child will have problems with gas after every feeding than the drops can be given him 20 minutes before each feeding (assuming you know when your baby will choose to eat next).
Some babies are lactose intolerant. This doesn’t mean that the baby is allergic to the milk that a mother produces, but the proteins in the cow’s milk that she drank before she nursed her baby. If your baby has a fussy tummy after nursing, you can try cutting milk products out of your diet for a couple of weeks to see if there is a difference. Make sure that if you do cut out milk products that you take calcium supplements as nursing mothers need extra calcium because they give their calcium to their babies.
A small hot water bottle filled with warm (not hot) water can be applied to a baby’s tummy. An easy way to keep the bottle on the right spot is to tight-wrap the baby in a blanket with the water bottle on his tummy.
There are few parents who do not praise the awesome power of the baby swing. For fussy and colicky babies, the swing can keep them in motion and keep them happy. There are several types of swings out there at a range of prices. If you are not sure which swing to buy, ask other mothers what kind of swing they have and if they and their baby liked it.
This advice comes from a mother of 13 children who used this with any of her children who were colicky. I’ve tried it also and it works well and fast. Give the baby a bottle of 2oz. of prune juice mixed with 2oz. of apple or white grape juice. The prune juice settles the stomach and makes for easy bowel movements while the grape juice sweetens the mixture so that the baby will eat it easier. For my more finicky children, I had to mix the prune juice with breast milk.
Most babies find a bath to be relaxing. It is best to give a bath in the late evening, before bedtime, because not only will the bath calm the baby, but it will help him relax for several hours of sleep.
Position
When a baby has stomach problems, especially with gas, certain positions may be more painful for the baby than others. Holding a baby on his back can be painful if his stomach is rumbling. You can tell if his stomach is upset by listening to his bowls with a stethoscope, or putting your ear to his stomach. If there is a constant rumbling, than his bowels are hyperactive which means his stomach is working too hard.
If the baby’s stomach is hyperactive, instead of laying him on his back, lay him on his right-side, or sit him in his car seat in his crib at night. If you will be watching him while he sleeps, or rubbing his back, you can lay him on his stomach for a while, but don’t allow him to sleep at night alone in his crib on his stomach, so that you don’t increase the chances of SIDS.
It is helpful sometimes to sit the baby up in your lap, supporting his head, and lean him forward a little. This position will slightly push his legs towards his stomach which will make it easier to expel gas or feces.
Bicycle Walk
Sometimes the only way I was able to calm a colicky baby down was by doing the bicycle walk. I would lay the baby on my lap with his legs towards me and move his legs in slight circles (as though he was pedaling a bicycle). This movement helps the bowels move comfortably.
Massage is a good way to relax a baby and work out his muscles. Rest your hand on the baby’s stomach or back and gently move in clockwise circles to help with digestion.
Lightly tapping or rubbing the baby’s feet up the center helps sooth and distract some babies.
When my child was in the hospital with pneumonia, the nurses taught me how to wrap my baby tight. This wrap has helped my fussy babies many times. Simply lay a baby blanket on a flat (safe) surface. Fold down the top corner. Position your baby in the middle of the blanket with head over the folded corner. Hold the baby’s arms to his side and wrap the left corner of the blanket over his shoulder and both arms. Tuck this corner under the right side of his body (you may have to roll the baby slightly to get the blanket smoothly under hum. Repeat the process with the opposite corner and opposite shoulder and arm. It is important to make sure that the blanket is tucked tightly over the shoulder, so that the baby can not wiggle out. Now fold the bottom of the blanket up and wrap the left over folds around the baby.
Keeping the baby wrapped tight is supposed to remind him of being in the womb. It really calms most babies.
Some babies prefer white noise. I had one child who loved the vacuum and another who enjoyed going to sleep with the sound of the humidifier. When a baby is in the womb, he is always listening to his mother’s body sounds. He gets used to the sound of her heart beat and breathing. Creating constant, or rhythmic is soothing to some babies.
If All Else Fails
Sometimes nothing you do helps and your child continues to cry for hours at a time. If the doctor has told you that it is colic and the baby is otherwise fine than it is important for the parent/s to get a brake. Use someone you trust (like a Grandparent, or experienced friend) and have this person watch your baby for a few hours during the day, so that you can have a much needed break. It also helps if parents choose to take shifts during the night. Have designated times when each parent chooses to watch the child. That way, each parent will get some uninterrupted sleep.
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