Introduction to Home Remedies for Colic
When you brought your new baby home from the hospital, he seemed so quiet, so sweet, so well-behaved. Suddenly, about two weeks after your child's arrival, Mommy's angel turned into a crying, squalling, red-faced little devil. At times, the child may have appeared to be in pain: He drew his legs up to his belly and appeared to pass gas more frequently. Perhaps you took your child to the pediatrician for a diagnosis, or maybe you were able to recognize the symptoms yourself that the demon of colic had invaded your once peaceful home. By now, you've probably reached the end of your rope. You feel frustrated and tired. You may have started to doubt your ability to parent your child properly. You may even feel like running away from home.
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. A certain amount of crying is normal and healthy for a baby. |
In this article, we'll address the problem of colic and how to keep your baby as comfortable as possible during the healing process. Keep reading for some home remedies to treat colicky babies.
For more information on caring for your baby, try the following links:
- To see all of our home remedies and the conditions they treat, go to our main Home Remedies page.
- For lifestyle changes you'll need to make upon your baby's arrival, see How to Adjust to a Newborn.
- How to Care for a Newborn includes valuable advice for new parents.
- To learn how exercise can benefit you and your baby, read How to Exercise With a Newborn.
Home Remedy Treatments for Colic
Fortunately, there are some tried-and-true ways of helping to soothe your baby, even if you can't curb his or her crying completely. These are included in the home remedies that follow. Another important component to the well-being of your colicky baby and to you is your sanity. So some of the tips below are designed to help you cope.Set the baby in motion. As most parents can attest, mild repetitious motion, such as that of a moving car or a rocking chair, can calm a cranky baby, knowledge that is doubly important with a colicky child. If taking the baby out in the car is too inconvenient, put the child in a safety seat on top of a running dryer (but never leave the baby unattended).
There are also devices on the market that will rock or vibrate the baby's crib. Some have sound sensors that will start the motion only when the baby starts crying and will stop after it senses that the baby has calmed down or gone to sleep. One device even simulates the motion of a car moving at 55 miles per hour. Some physicians find it effective, while others feel that it makes little difference.
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. Colic may result from fatigue, so it's important to let your baby sleep. |
To assess whether your child is crying because of fatigue, try everything else first: feeding, burping, changing, cuddling, checking for signs of illness such as fever. Then, if the baby is still crying, put him or her down to sleep, and walk away. Often, the child will settle down within a few minutes.
Stay calm. If your baby's marathon crying drives you to the brink of insanity, remind yourself that colic is not a serious medical problem that threatens his or her health. With that knowledge in mind, understand that this is just a stage in your child's development, albeit an unpleasant one, that will soon pass.
Take your baby off cow's milk. Some studies have shown an improvement in colic after dairy products have been removed from the baby's diet. The culprit seems to be a protein in cow's milk, which is present in many infant formulas and in the milk of breast-feeding mothers who eat dairy products. The protein may be responsible for colic in about 5 to 10 percent of babies who suffer from the condition. Changing the baby's formula (there are many soy-based formulas available) or staying off dairy products yourself if you are breast-feeding, is worth a try. If your baby's crying does not seem to improve after two weeks, you can assume that the milk was not the problem.
Add fiber to your baby's formula. Some studies have suggested that colic may improve in certain infants when fiber is added to their formula. In these studies, researchers added Citrucel, a bulking agent that draws water into the stool, to the babies' formula. Anywhere from one-half teaspoon three times a day to one-half teaspoon six times a day seemed to do the trick. Start by adding small amounts of fiber to the formula, and build up to higher doses. Although not the answer for every baby, adding a little fiber is safe and worth a try.
Take a shower. If your baby's crying has driven you to the point of near madness, it's time to stop and take a break, since an overly frustrated parent is no help to anyone. A long, hot shower will relax your shattered nerves, while the sound of running water can mask the baby's crying. (Be sure the baby is in a safe place, such as a crib.)
Keep a calendar. A record of your baby's weight and the frequency and length of crying bouts may be of help in tracking his or her progress. It can also be a handy record to take to the pediatrician's office. A useful bonus: While it may seem like your baby cries all the time, charting will remind you that he or she takes breaks now and then.
Soothe, don't stimulate. Some crying, colicky babies may be overly stimulated, so try soothing the infant instead of bouncing or rocking him or her. Some time-honored tools: a hot-water bottle, filled with warm, not hot, water and placed on a towel on the child's back or stomach; a pacifier; or repetitious sounds, such as the noise of a fan or humidifier.
Be realistic. You know those happy, smiling babies that you see in magazines and books? Count your blessings if your baby manages to resemble one of those glowing cherubs for a few minutes each day and try not to be discouraged or concerned the rest of the time: Your baby is not abnormal just because he or she cries a lot.
Maintain as much direct contact as possible. Pediatricians often recommend carrying and cuddling a colicky baby as much as possible. However, studies have failed to show that carrying actually causes a reduction in crying. On the other hand, carrying the baby frequently before colic ever sets in may prevent the condition from developing in the first place. In one study, caretakers of 99 normal infants increased their carrying of the infants by the age of three weeks. The result? The babies cried 43 percent less than other babies of the same age. The crying peak never seemed to occur in the infants who were carried. Furthermore, studies of a tribe of hunter-gatherers in Botswana, the !Kung San, found that their infants cry as often as North American babies, but only for about half as long. That may be because mothers in the tribe spend significantly more time with their babies held close to their bodies than North American mothers do.
Feed more often. One reason that the !Kung San spend so much time holding their babies is that they feed them almost continuously, approximately four times per hour, four minutes per feeding. Researchers speculate that this approach to feeding may be partly responsible for the reduced crying of the !Kung San infants. Even if continuous feeding does not fit into your schedule, adding a few extra sessions per day may still help. And don't worry that you're feeding the baby too often. Doctors say a normal schedule can include frequent feedings.
Put your baby on a schedule. Some children cry excessively because they simply don't know how to calm themselves down enough to go to sleep. Since babies under 12 weeks old often fall asleep while being fed, it is sometimes difficult for them to fall asleep when they aren't feeding. Start your little one on a regular schedule of sleeping and waking, and try to get him or her to fall asleep without your assistance. Establishing a simple bedtime (or naptime) routine or ritual may serve as a cue and help your baby transition from wakefulness to sleep without a crying fit in between. For example, each night, you might first change the baby's diaper, then sing a lullaby or two while you cuddle together in the rocking chair, and finally set the baby in the crib just before he or she drifts off to sleep. The baby may fuss a bit at first but will eventually get the hang of falling asleep in the crib rather than while feeding or being held.
Touch base with your pediatrician. Having a colicky child can be discouraging, so take advantage of all support systems available to you. Your pediatrician can be an invaluable source of ideas, experience, and reassurance.
Wait it out. Until someone comes up with a cure for colic, the best advice is simply to hang in there. Take solace in the fact that colic generally stops by three months of age. The longest you'll have to wait is until the baby reaches six months, although colic rarely lasts even this long.
In the next section, we'll take a look at colic home remedies that you can whip up in the kitchen.
For more information on caring for your baby, try the following links:
- To see all of our home remedies and the conditions they treat, go to our main Home Remedies page.
- For lifestyle changes you'll need to make upon your baby's arrival, see How to Adjust to a Newborn.
- How to Care for a Newborn includes valuable advice for new parents.
- To learn how exercise can benefit you and your baby, read How to Exercise With a Newborn.
Natural Home Remedies for Colic
Thankfully, there are many tried-and-true home remedies to soothe a baby. Some are as close as your kitchen. Experiment with a few, determine what works, and stick to it.
Chamomile tea. Chamomile combines antispasmodic and sedative properties and may relieve intestinal cramping and induce relaxation at the same time. In fact, chamomile contains 19 different antispasmodic constituents, as well as five sedative ones. To make a cup of tea: Place 1 teaspoon chamomile flowers in a cup and fill with boiling water. Cover and let stand for ten minutes. Strain and, while warm or at room temperature, give to the infant in a bottle. A nursing mother may also drink the tea, unless she is allergic to pollens. Prepackaged chamomile tea bags may be used instead of flowers.
Soy products. That carton of cow's milk looks innocent enough, but it can be the problem source for five to ten percent of colicky babies. Many studies have shown an improvement in colic after dairy products have been eliminated from babies' diets. The culprit seems to be the protein in cow's milk. (Don't think milk is the only villain. This protein lurks in many infant formulas containing dairy and is also found in the milk of breast-feeding mothers who consume dairy products.) Try eliminating dairy products for two weeks and switch to soy products, both for baby and for you, if you're breast-feeding. If you don't notice any improvement, assume milk isn't the culprit.
Running water. Water soothes the savage beast...and the screaming baby. One of the simplest calming techniques is to place a bowl in the sink and turn on the faucet. Hold your baby next to the sink so he can hear the water cascading into the bowl. If the kitchen sink doesn't produce enough volume, perhaps try the bathroom sink. An enclosed space, like a bathroom, may accentuate the soothing sounds of water.
Basil. This aromatic herb contains large amounts of eugenol, which, among other things, has antispasmodic and sedative properties. Place 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves in a cup and fill it with boiling water. Cover and let stand for ten minutes. Strain and, while warm or at room temperature, give it to the infant in a bottle. A nursing mother may also drink the tea.
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. Mint has antispasmodic properties that can soothe a colicky baby. |
Although it has never been definitively proven to be effective, peppermint-flavored water is a century-old remedy for colic. Scientists have discovered that the active ingredient in peppermint oil is a calcium-channel blocker, which may ease intestinal distress, a common problem associated with colic.
If your baby has been diagnosed with colic, try some of the simple home remedies in this article to help alleviate his or her fussiness.
For more information on caring for your baby, try the following links:
- To see all of our home remedies and the conditions they treat, go to our main Home Remedies page.
- For lifestyle changes you'll need to make upon your baby's arrival, see How to Adjust to a Newborn.
- How to Care for a Newborn includes valuable advice for new parents.
- To learn how exercise can benefit you and your baby, read How to Exercise With a Newborn.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Timothy Gower is a freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared in many publications, including Reader's Digest, Prevention, Men's Health, Better Homes and Gardens, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times. The author of four books, Gower is also a contributing editor for Health magazine.
Alice Lesch Kelly is a health writer based in Boston. Her work has been published in magazines such as Shape, Fit Pregnancy, Woman's Day, Reader's Digest, Eating Well, and Health. She is the co-author of three books on women's health.
Linnea Lundgren has more than 12 years experience researching, writing, and editing for newspapers and magazines. She is the author of four books, including Living Well With Allergies.
Michele Price Mann is a freelance writer who has written for such publications as Weight Watchers and Southern Living magazines. Formerly assistant health and fitness editor at Cooking Light magazine, her professional passion is learning and writing about health.
ABOUT THE CONSULTANTS:
Ivan Oransky, M.D., is the deputy editor of The Scientist. He is author or co-author of four books, including The Common Symptom Answer Guide, and has written for publications including the Boston Globe, The Lancet, and USA Today. He holds appointments as a clinical assistant professor of medicine and as adjunct professor of journalism at New York University.
David J. Hufford, Ph.D., is university professor and chair of the Medical Humanities Department at Pennsylvania State University's College of Medicine. He also is a professor in the departments of Neural and Behavioral Sciences and Family and Community Medicine. Dr. Hufford serves on the editorial boards of several journals, including Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine and Explore.
This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.