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Babies cry for many reasons, but if your baby tends to cry for hours and is very difficult to soothe, then there is a chance that your baby is suffering from colic. Such episodes tend to appear in the evenings between 6 PM and midnight and can be quite discomforting for your baby. These times can be stressful for tired parents too. While you can always contact your baby’s pediatrician, some natural remedies can be used at home to soothe and pacify your crying baby.
Symptoms
Crying is your baby’s way of telling you they need your care and comfort. So how do you know if your baby is crying out of pain or for other reasons? Colic-induced crying can be distinguished from other types of crying by checking for the following symptoms. According to experts, your baby is probably suffering from colic if:
- Your baby cries for three or more hours a day for three or more days a week.
- They cry for hours and are not easily pacified.
- They cry out loud and hard.
- They get red in the face while crying.
- They have a distended stomach.
- They pull their legs up while crying.
Being aware of colic symptoms can help you relieve your baby from the pain and discomfort. Here are a few things you can do at home to help your colicky baby:
1. Burp The Baby
Babies tend to swallow a lot of air while crying, which gets trapped in their tummies, creating pain. Burping the baby can help get rid of the trapped air. All you need to do is hold your baby with its head over your shoulders and stomach gently pressing against your body. Keep patting or rubbing their back gently till they emit a burp.
2. Get Moving
Babies in the womb are used to a lot of motion. This is comforting for them. So a great way to pacify a colicky baby would be to get them moving. For example, you can use a cradle, a rocking chair, a vibrating infant rocker, or even take your baby out for a spin in the car. This steady rhythmic motion may help soothe the baby, enabling them to sleep.
3. Go For A Pacifier
Infants have a strong sucking instinct. So offering your baby a pacifier is a simple and effective way of allowing them to soothe their colic symptoms by themselves. Studies suggest that sucking is more than just a survival instinct that helps comfort the baby while reducing stress.
4. Swaddle Your Baby
Try swaddling your baby in a soft, thin blanket. The blanket should be large enough to wrap the baby’s arms snuggly while letting their hips stay relaxed. It creates a comforting atmosphere similar to the mother’s womb, enabling them to fall asleep faster. It also helps the baby stay asleep for longer. Ensure that a swaddled baby is always lying on their back, and avoid swaddling the baby once it learns to roll.
5. Change Their Position
Laying your baby down on their tummy and knees while gently rubbing their backs is a simple way to soothe a colicky baby. The gentle pressure on their backs helps relieve trapped gas in the stomach, comforting them and enabling them to sleep faster.
6. Turn On White Noise
The sounds that are familiar to your baby can be comforting for them. For example, the sound of a washing machine drier, dishwasher, a whirring fan or an open shower, or a recorded sound of heart beating are some sounds that can help soothe your colicky baby.
7. Give Your Baby A Massage
Massaging your baby offers many benefits, such as making a baby feel calm and relaxed. Also, many babies love skin-to-skin contact. So use a baby massage oil recommended by your pediatrician and massage your baby gently. Massaging the area around his navel in a clockwise motion while moving their legs in a cycling motion can reduce your baby’s discomfort.
8. Try Gripe Water
Keep Woodward’s gripe water at hand. An ayurvedic proprietary medicine, it is a mix of natural ingredients such as Dill seed oil and Sarjikakshara, it aids and promotes digestion, neutralizes acid formation in the baby’s stomach, and helps get rid of trapped gas in the baby’s tummy. As this is an over the counter (OTC) product, it is readily available in medical stores as well as general stores.
9. Wear Your Baby
It is soothing for your baby to be close to you. Carrying your colicky baby in a baby carrier or sling can help your baby feel safe, secure, and comforted, helping them calm down.
10. Give Your Baby A Warm Water Bath
A warm water bath or a warm compress are natural remedies that can help provide symptomatic relief to a colicky baby. This is because warm water is known to help relieve pain. If the weather outside is cold, you can also opt for a warm compress by rubbing your baby’s tummy with a towel soaked in warm water.
Although colic pain peaks in the first few months of the baby’s birth, the good news is that symptoms start reducing as your baby grows and might completely go away once your baby turns six months old. Although this period can be challenging for new parents, by following the tips given, you can surely help soothe your baby’s colic symptoms. However, if your baby is still not comfortable or you feel something is wrong, do not hesitate to contact your baby’s pediatrician.
