Colic - How did you deal?

 My wife and I are new parents and are looking for advice on dealing with colic.  The causes of colic are still unknown but there millions of parents before us that have dealt with it.  What remedies or practices did you utilize to reduce the symptoms of colic?  Thank you in advance for any advise that you can give.

We used the little tummies drops, which have no added sugar or artificial flavoring, those really seemed to help a lot. and we spent a lot of time taking turns sleeping with him on the couch or in a recliner with him on is tummy on our chests, he was a lot happier when he was on one of us and on his tummy.

We weren't worried about following the 'back to sleep' recommendation because research I looked up when pregnant showed that there was in reality no statistical difference between SIDS cases since the back to sleep program started and before. Because when you group all the causes together [unconfirmed/SIDS, strangulation, suffocation, asphyxiation] the percent is still the same since back to sleep started as it was prior. The reason it looks like there was a decrease is because now more infant deaths are being recorded as suffocation, strangulation and asphyxiation and less as SIDS/unknown. so the percent of unknown has went down and the others have went up (so this is more to do with medical practice getting better at figuring out causes basically). So, when you look at just unknown/SIDS it makes it look like back to sleep is affective. However, when you look at all of them you see that nothing has changed. Plus the research I saw showed that co sleeping is one of the factors (along with breastfeeding and baby wearing) that statistically seems to reduce the risk of SIDS. Which made me even less worried about him sleeping on us.

He also seemed a lot happier in general if we wore him in slings or in carriers pressed against our chests (he liked the carriers better then slings, I think because of having his tummy up against us), and on the worse occasions we would just walk around with him laying flat on our forarms, so again the on the tummy thing really helped.

Other then that just time, I know it's rough but you'll get through it. ~hugs~

Another thing that might help, if your baby is forumula fed instead of breastfed look into switching to nestle natural cultures. I had to quit bfing for medical reasons at 6 months and his colic got significantly worse til we found natural cultures, our care provider things the reason this formula is easier on digestion is because the cultures in it are similar to the cultures in breastmilk that babies need to help them digest since their digestive tract isn't up to par yet- but other formulas don't have cultures added yet. But since colic normally seems to be an issue with the baby's tummy hurting it makes since why the cultures help. If your wife is breastfeeding you might see if she is willing to start rotating some foods out of her diet and see if the colic improves when any of them are gone for a week at a time. That helped us a little, but wasn't a fix, but I've talked to moms on cafemom that finding certain foods to keep out of their diet while breastfeeding totally cured their baby's colic, so it might be worth a shot. good luck again.

Thanks for the help.  We started on a homeopathic gripe water that comes highly recommended.  My wife also ordered another brand, so we'll see which is better.  I also found some research about using probiotics.  Again, I'll write reviews on how that turns out.  Thanks for the recommendation of the formula.  I'll ask the doctor, but with him being a premie . . . we'll see. 

You should consider the baby's environment. What are you bathing him with? Are you using potentially harmful laundry products? Since the cause of colic is not known, I would try these steps. I don't have any personal experience with this topic, but it seems worth a try. I can forward some sites to look at if you like. Good luck

Thanks for the question.  I only use the MiEssence Baby line.  It is considered the only baby line certified organic to food grade standards.  We use only use hypoallergenic and chemical free laundry products.  It was something we were concerned about before he was even born.

edited for clarification

I took a quick look at MiEssence. You are definatly on the right track for your baby and family! They do seem to be overpriced. I understand that organic is going be more expensive and worth it, however, some companies seem to be taking advantage of this! Check out using companies that use tea tree oil. The avacado is good for skin.

Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic, solvent, moisturizer, antifugal, etc. I live in Pa. and the Amish community knows all about tea tree oil. Some actually drink it! (Very little at a time!) Your son is going to be fine! Keep doing what you're doing!!

I agree w/ Kay in wearing your baby often.  That helped allot.  Also allot of warm baths, gentle tummy massage & laying baby on his back and gently pushing knees into his chest are all very helpful.

Gripe Water is good but, inconvenient since it needs to remain in the fridge after opening.  I found some stuff at the health food store that has worked amazingly well.  It's called Cocyntal Colic Relief made by Boiron.  One box contains 20 pre-measured, sterile doses so administering a dose in the middle of the night w/ the lights off could not be any easier.  Great to throw in the diaper bag too. 

Good luck w/ finding comfort for your son (as well as your wife & yourself).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick Dub 

 

Thanks for the question.  I only use the MiEssence Baby line.  It is considered the only certified organic baby line in the world.  We use only use hypoallergenic and chemical free laundry products.  It was something we were concerned about before he was even born.

while I think misessence is a good line, but I also know there are other certified organic baby lines out there so am confused about that statement, like www.naturesbabyorganics.com the owner is part of ewg. I'm fairly sure that burts bees baby line is certified organic, although I am not a huge fan of burts bees and there are also tons of homemade products you can make (to know they really are toxin free) or buy that are great for baby care like www.mellowyellowsoaps.com has a baby line that is homemade and organic, plus she will work with you to do customs. I also know that Earth Mama Angel Baby (www.earthmamaangelbaby.com) line is certified organic.
 

I jwas talking to a wahm that makes colic belts on cafemom the other day. She only takes customs right now, her email is kschwaz36@live.com. I don't know the average cost of them but you could ask. Or I'm sure they are sold other places, I just don't know of them. I wish I had one of these when Tris was little, It would have made things like car rides or other times we couldn't hold him so much more pleasent, lol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amanda Goldman 

 

I agree w/ Kay in wearing your baby often.  That helped allot.  Also allot of warm baths, gentle tummy massage & laying baby on his back and gently pushing knees into his chest are all very helpful.

 

Gripe Water is good but, inconvenient since it needs to remain in the fridge after opening.  I found some stuff at the health food store that has worked amazingly well.  It's called Cocyntal Colic Relief made by Boiron.  One box contains 20 pre-measured, sterile doses so administering a dose in the middle of the night w/ the lights off could not be any easier.  Great to throw in the diaper bag too. 

 

Good luck w/ finding comfort for your son (as well as your wife & yourself).

Thanks for the post.  Cocyntal Colic Relief is one of the products referenced above.  The gripe water is called Colic Calm.  I'll try to do a more detailed product compare later but, here's the short, dirty version.

Cocyntal - easy to dispense, no messy measuring.  Does not require refrigeration.  Easy for travel.  Sweet to the taste and is working for our son.

Colic Calm - requires dispensing device (syringe).  Contains vegetable charcoal, stains burp clothes and clothing.  Does not require refrigeration.  Not convenient for travel.  Provided some gas relief for our son, but not much else.  Also sweet to the taste.