How to Treat Colic Using Home Remedies
Colic usually occurs in infants between 4 to 6 weeks of age. The baby starts crying, curls up as if in pain, becomes very gassy, gets quiet for a little bit, then starts crying again. Colicky babies will not stop crying when you feed them or change their diaper. If your baby cries a lot and seems to be in pain, the doctor may inform you that she has colic. Even though there is no cure for colic, there are natural remedies you can try to soothe the symptoms.
Things You'll Need
- Chamomile tea
- Soy products
- Running water
- Basil or mint leaves
- Warm water bottle or heating pad
Instructions
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Make a cup of tea from chamomile. Put a teaspoon of chamomile flowers in a cup of boiling water. Cover the tea and let it stand for 10 minutes, strain it and put it in your baby's bottle. Make sure the tea is warm or at room temperature so as not to burn your baby's mouth. You can buy prepackaged chamomile tea at your local drug store or health food store as well. You can also try this with basil leaves or mint leaves. Basil contains large amounts of eugenol, which has antispasmodic and sedative properties. See which herb seems to soothe the baby most. Mothers who are breast feeding can also drink this tea and pass the healing properties on in the breast milk.
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Switch to soy milk when giving your baby a bottle. Studies have shown that the protein in cow's milk may be one cause for a baby to get colic or make it worse. Sometimes, any dairy products can cause colic and even a mother's breast milk can cause colic if the mother is eating dairy products. The solution is to switch to soy milk for at least two weeks and eliminate dairy products completely for your baby and you, if you are breast feeding. If the colic eases up or goes away, stick with soy milk.
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Place a bowl in the kitchen or bathroom sink and turn on the running water. Hold your baby next to the kitchen or bathroom sink so she can hear the water running into the bowl. Water sounds are soothing and if your baby will not stop crying because of colic, holding her near the running water may help. The bathroom sink or bathtub might be better because you can shut the door and the small enclosed space will accentuate the sound of the water.
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Get a warm water bottle or a heating pad and place it on your baby’s tummy. The warm sensation on the baby’s tummy can help soothe them. Make sure to place a towel on your baby’s stomach to lay the water bottle on so the baby will not get burned. If you are using a heating pad instead of a warm water bottle, place the heating pad on the lowest setting.
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Get the baby moving. Place your baby in a car seat or infant seat and put the seat beside a running clothes dryer. The vibration can have a soothing effect. Another thing to try is the baby swing. Often, the back and forth swinging motion works to calm the baby. Practice massaging your baby as moving their limbs around can help release built-up gas, reduce cramping and help get the bowels moving.
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Tips & Warnings
Watch the position of your baby when feeding and burp your baby often. Keep the baby more upright while feeding and burp your baby after every ounce of milk she drinks. If bottle feeding, try different varieties of nipples.
Try turning on the vacuum on instead of singing a lullaby. For some reason, the noise of the vacuum often calms a colicky baby down.
Talk to your pediatrician before using any of these techniques to find out what is best for your baby.
Resources
- Photo Credit Shirley Smits from stock.xchng-http://www.sxc.hu/profile/shirleymar
