To soothe a colicky baby, use motion (rocking, stroller, car ride), rhythmic sounds (white noise, heartbeat), sucking (pacifier, breast), and gentle touch (massage, swaddling, belly position), while also ensuring your own calm by taking breaks and asking for help, as a fussy baby needs a settled parent. Try different combinations, but don't overstimulate; sometimes putting them down in a safe spot to self-settle is best.
Change your baby's position: Sit them up if they have been lying down, or hold them face-out if they have been facing your chest. Hold your baby near low, rhythmic noises, like the sound of the washing machine or a recording of a heartbeat. The steady hum of a fan or a white noise machine can also be soothing.
The "Colic 333 Rule" is a common guideline for identifying colic in a healthy, well-fed baby: crying for more than 3 hours a day, for more than 3 days a week, for more than 3 weeks. While it's a helpful way to recognize persistent, intense crying spells, it's not a strict diagnosis, and you don't need to wait three weeks to seek help if you're concerned. Colic usually peaks around 6 weeks and lessens by 3-4 months, but it's important to rule out other issues with a doctor.
Causes of colic may include any of the following: Pain from gas. Hunger. Overfeeding.
What causes colic?
Best Sleeping Position for a Colic Baby: Flat on Their Back
Colic can sometimes be caused by gas and digestive discomfort, so taking steps to improve your baby's digestion before putting them to sleep on their back can allow for better-quality, longer sleep.
Certain foods can help ease colic symptoms in babies, while others may trigger discomfort. Common culprits include dairy, caffeine, and acidic foods, which can cause gassiness, restlessness, or digestive issues.
Sometimes a baby with colic will find it soothing to suck on a dummy between feeds. If you decide to give your baby a dummy, it's better to wait until breastfeeding is well-established and he is gaining weight well. You will also need to follow manufacturer's guidelines on cleaning and replacement.
When colic symptoms occur, fill provided measured oral dispenser up to 1/2 teaspoon and dispense slowly, drop-by-drop into mouth between cheek and gums. A measured dispenser such as the NumiMed that we offer (or the like) can also be used in place of the blue dropper, to administer Colic Calm.
Burp your infant before, halfway through and after a feed. Keeping them upright after feeding can help their stomach empty. Holding infants stomach down and increasing tummy time can help move the gas through the intestines. Bicycle leg kicks and tummy massage may also help.
Chamomile is a carminative with long history of use as a calming herb and may be used to ease intestinal cramping in colicky infants. A soothing tea made from chamomile, vervain, licorice, fennel, and lemon balm has been shown to relieve colic more effectively than placebo.
The discomfort from gas will pass. Gas discomfort from burps and farts typically peaks at six weeks and improves immensely by 3 months of age.
Colic in newborns is harmless and passes quickly. But the condition can be frustrating for parents. Managing an infant's colic only adds to the stress and fatigue of new parenthood. The condition has been linked to postpartum depression and shaken baby syndrome.
A warmed bottle is more soothing for your baby's sensitive digestive system, reducing the likelihood of gas and discomfort after feeding. Additionally, warm milk can help ease colic and reduce spit-ups, leading to a happier and more content baby.
While reflux disease, silent reflux and colic are three conditions that appear to be different from each other, they are in fact closely related. They have multiple common symptoms (across over 80 that we can observe), and they can have commonality across their underlying cause.
The "Colic 333 Rule" is a common guideline for identifying colic in a healthy, well-fed baby: crying for more than 3 hours a day, for more than 3 days a week, for more than 3 weeks. While it's a helpful way to recognize persistent, intense crying spells, it's not a strict diagnosis, and you don't need to wait three weeks to seek help if you're concerned. Colic usually peaks around 6 weeks and lessens by 3-4 months, but it's important to rule out other issues with a doctor.
Reflux. Reflux and colic are closely related and are often confused. Reflux can also be caused by oversupply and both are more often a problem when a baby is given large feeds with long gaps in between. A baby who has reflux often spits up milk and cries more when he is lying down or is in a car seat.
Features of colic may include: Loud, hard crying that may sound like screaming or being in pain. Crying for no known reason. Colic crying is not like the crying a baby does when hungry or wet.
[14] Wessel proposed a diagnostic criteria for infantile colic known as the Wessels "Rule of 3," which are still helpful today. Infants affected by colic experience bouts of fussiness and crying that last at least 3 hours a day for 3 or more days a week for over 3 weeks.
TAKEAWAY Excessive crying and fussiness can be distressing for both you and your baby. Fortunately, colic symptoms typically improve by the age of 3 months, so it will get better. While gripe water has not been shown to be a definitively effective alternative for soothing colicky babies, it is generally safe.
Colic and gas are common challenges faced by newborns, often causing significant discomfort and distress. Swaddling, when done correctly, can be a highly effective strategy in alleviating these symptoms by providing comfort, security, and soothing effects.
The 5-3-3 rule is a loose guideline for structuring a baby's sleep schedule: 5 hours of wake time before the first nap, 3 hours of wake time before the second nap, and 3 hours before bedtime.
The hardest week with a newborn is often considered the first six weeks, especially weeks 2-3, due to extreme sleep deprivation, constant feeding demands, learning baby's cues, postpartum recovery, and a peak in inconsolable crying (the "witching hour"), making parents feel overwhelmed as they adjust to a new, exhausting routine. While the first week is tough, the challenges often intensify as the baby becomes more alert but still fussy, with major developmental hurdles like cluster feeding and increased fussiness peaking around 6-8 weeks.
Improper feeding technique, such as underfeeding or overfeeding, or infrequent burping, has been suggested to be a cause for colic.