Colicy Baby

With my son who had colic as well, we used slippery elm. We mixed the powder with some water (make it as thin as you like)and feed it to the baby before bedtime. It worked like a dream. It's an old remedy from the native americans. Relieves the stomache spasms. T. P.S. you can mix in peppermint tea or catnip tea for extra comfort

What I have used for my babies with colic is an herbal formula called Kid-e-Col by the Dr. Christopher company. You should be able to get this at any healthfood store that sells herbal supplements. Try giving 4-5 drops (more or less) of this every 15 min.

This is no fun as I have been through this with both of my kids. What we found out with both of them was they had reflux. They were both put on Zantac and the relief was immediate. They never did any formal testing but due to the crying and their behavior after eating the doctor decided to try this medicine. My kids are 5 and 2 now. They were only on the Zantac for about 9 months to a year. It was such a lifesaver. The minute the medicine went down their bodies relaxed and they were so much happier!!

I see that you've gotten a lot of advice. Here's what jumped out at me: that you guys have already tried everything on the market to help him.

I'd 2nd the suggestion that it's probably something he's ingesting that he's sensitive to. My littlest guy had horrible tummy pains (most notably at night) in his first weeks. Within *days* of pulling milk from my diet (I was/am nursing) we noticed HUGE improvements. It took a lot more eliminations than that--and took about 4 weeks milk-free for all of his milk symptoms to clear--to get him all sorted out. But that nighttime crying is long gone.

If the baby's on formula don't rush to soy formula... it's highly allergenic also. A hypo-allergenic formula like Nutramigen or Alimentum is a better bet. If the mama's nursing, she can do eliminations (she'll probably find that she is suspicious of certain foods). But she should pull foods for at *least* 2 weeks (I had to go 3 to be fully sure) before reintroducing foods. I ended up having to re-eliminate foods later that I thought were okay.

In our case we ended up with a pretty daunting avoid list (dairy, soy, chicken, wheat, rice) but I've been nursing him for over a year and he's thriving. :) So tell the mama that the effort she goes to now (and it will be hard) will be 100% worth it when she gets her baby boy feeling better. She might want to keep a food diary of what she/he eats and any symptoms that follow.

Best of luck to all of you!

Sounds like acid reflux to me, too. However, even without his reflux treated, the techniques in the video "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Harvey Karp helped our 2nd son learn to sleep in 10 minutes. It literally cured his colic in that time, even though he still had severe acid reflux. GL!

Have them try a little yogart or multi-dopholis. It is supposed to help.

I love Gripe Water, or Hyland's teething tablets. you can find either at the health food store.

I went through this with my 2nd child. After a few adjustments at the chiropractors office, we didn't have any more problems. I definitely recommend trying that as it couldn't hurt. Good luck!

Make it a GREAT day!

S.

I would also say to check for reflux. It is common that reflux is misdiagnosed as colic. Also, someone mentioned chiropractic adjustments. Chiropractic is common in Denmark, and a study there found that it was 94% effective in reducing or eliminating colic.

My sisters second baby was very, very colicy. She was starting to lose her mind and what was worse was the doctors said there was nothing they could do. she did get him some acid reflex medicine that helped a little but he still just cried all the time! My mom just kept telling her that once he gets past 3 months he will get better. I guess lots of times colic only last for around 3 months. Then just like magic when he was almost 4 months he just stopped being fussy. He stopped crying all night long and started sleeping through the night. He started smiling and being so happy during the day. My sis couldn't even believe that it was the same baby. So anyways if it's just colic like the doc says you will probably being seeing a big change in your little soon. just hang in there.

My daughter was great at first but on a visit to my Ob/Gyn - a big man- he picked her up & held her 'badly'- I saw her stiffen and cry out & after that became very colicky ~ since I'd been seeing a chiropractor, I took her in & he made a gentle little adjustment in the small of her back & that was the end of it I think 2 more check ups then & she's never been back to one.

Avoid caffeine, dairy products, citrus fruits, soy products, and spicy foods. Elevate the infant's head during and after feedings. ~ I noticed that what I ate really influenced my son (nursing) chocolate, cabbage, onions ........ I came across an interesting article a few weeks ago http://www.ahealthierplace.com/tiki-index.php?page=Colic

Homoeopathy - Homoeopathic medicine offers several over-the-counter colic remedies that are considered safe to use without prior consultation with a Homoeopath. Seek help from a professional if your child does not respond to a remedy within 24 hours. Homeopathics are also excellent Chamomilla, Colocynthos, Magnesium posphorica, nux vomica, ignatia, aethusa are recommended by Dana Ullman

Herbal Remedies - Teas made with herbs .... which reduce inflammation in the bowels and lessen gas production, may help a colicky child. (Try teas made of chamomile, lemon balm, peppermint, or dill).

Aromatherapy - Try massaging your child’s stomach with chamomile or peppermint in a clockwise direction. Never give aromatherapy oils to children younger than 2 weeks.

First of all is she nursing the baby or is the baby on formula. If she is nursing, it might be something she is eating or drinking such as milk. If she drinks a lot of milk or eats cheese, ice cream, etc. that could be the problem. My second baby screamed for hours if I ate a bowl of ice cream. When I stopped, so did she. So often we think it's spicy foods that are the culprit, but often it is milk. If the baby is on formula changing that can help. Try a different one or try a soy based formula. Peppermint drops in the bottle helps a whole lot for some reason or mix the drops in some water and just use an eye dropper to put a drop or two in the babies mouth. That can work also. And a visit to the chiropractor can do miracles. Have seen it work more than once.

I feel for ya all. I went through that with all three of my kids. Nothing worked, until oneday, my mother told me to use peppermint candy. Yes I know your thinking, its a baby women, are you crazy. But all you gotta do is take a candy, put it in hot water in a bottle. Of course I'm talking like hours before you make the bottle, depending on how you want to do it. I use to crush it, put in a ounce of hotwater, let it desolve, then make thier bottles as I normaly. For me it worked out wonderful, I mainly used it at bedtime, so I wsant worried about my kids getting to much sugar. But if you all are worried about the sugar, they have liquid peppermint, that can be tried. I wish you all the luck.

went through this with my oldest- and for her the only thing that worked was to take her outside. Fresh air and a change in scenery was what she needed. But really the root of the problem needs to be found. If it is truly colic it has been linked to over stimulation of their developing nervous system- dim the lights, turn on some white noise, and undress him as much as possible. Dietary issues can be fixed (either his diet or mom's) My youngest is extrememly lactose intolerant and Similac sensitive worked wonders for her (she was brestfed but not exclusivly)

What frustration you must feel! My baby was a bit colicky for the first few months, nothing major but I remember it well. He did not spit up hardly at all, but it was not in the evening like most colic, it was anytime....evening, morning, afternoon, nighttime, thought it was WROSE in the evening. At first we used Baby Bliss Gripe Water (Yes it is sold at Walgreens) which is esentially peppermint water. I was scared because little babies aren’t supposed to have water, but I kept it to 2 oz and it seemed to help a little, but not for long. Then my mom gave me some advise. Does he seem constantly hungry? I know my son was ALWAYS wanting to feed when he was colicky. I assumed it was because something hurt and feeding (I breast fed) was a comfort to him. My mom told me to keep to his schedule and resist letting him eat every hour because the pain they have in their tummy could be him being over-full but they mistake it for being hungry (or we do!). Then feeding them only makes it worse. Don't know if this is true in your case, but it was in ours. I stuck to his feeding schedule and the crying would subside. Eventually it stopped and now he is a very happy, healthy little boy that is almost a year old. Also around the time the colic subsided (around 2 months for us), I worked on a sleep routine and kept a sleep log for him. At 3 months he was sleeping though the night and would even put himself to sleep for naps. I hope this helps!

Hi J.,
The poor little guy. My favorite is Chamomilla. You can get it at Whole Foods, Sunflower, etc. It is a homeopathic remedy. It is safe for him to use.

Just make sure he takes 3 tablets in a clean mouth (no food or drink for 30 min. before & after taking. It should help very fast. It may take a few "doses". Take care, G

I had the same problem. It's generally related to stomach issues. The five most common allergens according to my pediatrician are nuts, dairy, soy, eggs and wheat. It sucks, but I went on an elmination diet (except for the wheat, just couldn't cut that one out). So, cut out what you think the culprits might be (most often, dairy or nuts) and don't eat them for a full week and see if there is improvement. After a week, you can reintroduce stuff you eliminated about every 3 days. Note that what made it hard for us to figure out the problem was it took about 1.5 days after I started eating something again for him to react, so I'd eat dairy and he'd be fine that day and then the next he'd blow up but I'd be thinking it wasn't the dairy because I'd had it the day before and he was fine. Anyway, after I did the elimination diet, he was fine, then I started back on eggs and soy, no problem, then milk, and a day later he was screaming (really scary screaming, in total pain). I cut out the milk and nuts and he went from a constantly crying baby to a totally happy baby. You don't have to cut this out forever, their digestive system really matures starting around 6 months. My boy is now 7 months and I can eat dairy again and he even has yogurt, but till about 6 months, I had to cut it out, and if we gave him a formula supplement it had to be soy formula.

Other possibilities are lactose intolerance but not milk allergy (would need to give him lactaid drops before feeding -- we tried this but it wasn't the issue), or, if you're on formula, there is some hypoallergenic type but it tastes and smells bad (though you could try it for a week and if he improves, you know it's definitely digestion related).

Good luck. FYI, "colic" is the doctor's term for "we don't know what's wrong with your baby."

Is he breastfed? Colic in breastfed babies is often cause by lactose intolerance (all babies start out a bit lactose intolerant). The stomach does fine with the lactose (natural sugars in milk), but the small intestine has trouble and it causes gas and pain. The solution is simple - keep the milk in the stomach long enough for it to break down the sugars. How? Fat helps the milk stay in the stomach longer.
Breast milk changes from begining to end of the nursing. Foremilk is thin and water, hindmilk is richer and has more fat (baby needs both, there are reasons why the body does it this way). We've been taught
to switch sides half-way through nursing. Don't. Stop to burp as much as needed, but keep him on the same breast until it is empty (there will be a pulling feedling). Offer the other side if he is still hungry, but the fat also sends satiety signals so he feels full. Breasts adjust quickly, and she can pad the emptier side to not look lopsided.
My youngest was colicy and our pediatrician (also a lactation consultant) told me about this and gave me an article to read about it. It worked wonders!

Like someone else mentioned, if mom is nursing, food issues need to be ruled out. Most common culprit is dairy, but there is often something else as well. Other triggers to look at are chocolate, anything with caffeine, citrus, onions, tomatoes....you can ask the dr or even do an online search. One of my babies had very serious problems with tomatoes, and it took us months to figure it out. Once I had been about 5 days with no tomato products in my diet, he was a completely different baby.

If mom is not nursing, or a couple of weeks trial rules all of that out, baby should be checked for GERD, even without a lot of spitting up (though that can be an indicator).

If all of that is ruled out, or you're looking for a remedy quicker than that, I would suggest trying the Happi Tummi. Check out Happitummi.com for more info. Everyone I know who has used it has found the results astonishing!

My daughter had colic as well until she was about 4 months. My doctor put us on Nutramagen from Emfamil. Its pretty expensive but the formula took it away within a week. Other than that we walked alot up and down stairs. Did hot packs on her tummy and gave her water sometimes instead of milk when she was crying because she would get dry mouth from all that screaming and crying. We also discoved that my daughter had acid reflux on top of the colic though so that is why she would cry when laid down. Good luck! It does eventually end!

My heart goes out to your nephew and your family members who listen to him cry. My daughter had colic from day 9 until week 10 of her life. You could set the clock by it! She would scream and I mean scream for 2-4 hours every single night! My husband and I would just take turns holding her, rocking her, trying anything we could to soothe her. Unfortunately, there was NOTHING that we tried that worked. I know that is hard to hear, but trust me, this stage will come to an end eventually. Here are some options to try, if you haven't already.
Mylicon Drops (over the counter)
Gripe Water (at any natural food store)
Nutramagen Formula (expensive but easier on the tummy) don't know if he is being formula fed even
Warm compress on his tummy (lay him across your legs, put a heating pad or warm towel on your legs and bounce him
Wrap him tightly in a receiving blanket
Lay him on the floor where he can stretch out
I am sure you have probably tried all of that, but maybe there is something you haven't tried that might work. Best of luck to you and your family, and give the little guy a big squeeze from a mommy who has been there, done that!

I went through about 6 weeks with my daughter and she had some drops that we put in her mouth. This helped ease the stomach pains. However, that was many years ago. If it were now, I'd probably investigate some natural remedies instead.

I would try a chiropractor. Find one that you know people have been to and like. If you're ever in the Orem area, Dr. Ben Higbee at Lonestar chiropractic is great! (He's the chiropractor for the BYU sports teams, but also does private practice and is very good with children and pregnant mothers). Also, make sure the baby get outside a lot too, that often helps. Good luck.

I had the same problem with my son. I tried all kinds of advice and nothing worked until my aunt (who is a nurse) suggested gripe water. I had never heard of it before, but tried it. It's a natural remedy for colic, hiccups, etc. that's very popular in Europe. It's basically a sugar syrup with a couple of herbs in it like ginger and fennel I think.

This worked like a dream for my son. Within seconds he would calm down & usually produce a loud burp.

It costs about $8-9 and you can buy it at Walgreens or online (I don't think I ever saw it at Target or Walmart). There are several brands, but I liked this one best:

http://www.drugstore.com/qxp72297_333181_sespider/babys_b...

Both my babies went thru this. It turned out to be acid reflux. Try giving him half a teaspoon of mylanta. If he seems better after 10-15 minutes then it is acid reflux and you should take him to the doctor and have him put on prevacid. This made a huge difference with my kids. also if he does have reflux put a pillow or something under his crib mattress so he kind of sleeps proped up, not to much though just a little. This helps keep the acid from coming back up through their espohogus. If you have any other questions about the reflux send me an e-mail.

Hi J.,
My first daughter screamed every evening from the time she was 2 weeks old until almost 1 year. The Doc just said it was cholic and so I tried all kinds of herbal remedies and the radio turned up very loud on static, walking and bouncing. Basically it was just an exhausting year for all. Then when my second daughter started screaming at 2 weeks old the Doctor (same one) said it was probably the beginnings of a food/milk allergy. So I stopped eating ALL dairy, chocolate, peanut butter and eggs. I continued to nurse and also fed my daughter Nutramigin (sp?). Within a week she was settled and because I continued this way until she stopped nursing at 10 months she was a much happier baby than the first.
In short I would start by concentrating on what he is already ingesting and try to make that as simple and easy to digest as possible.
Take care,
B.

Hi J.,

Have you tried essential oils?
This blend of oil is an excellent aid in helping with colic.

EASE blended oil. Dilute 1 drop of EASE with 3 drops of MESSAGE oil. Massage it on the bottom of the feet and the abdomen.

Here's the link to find the EASE oil, then go to SINGLE oils to find the MESSAGE oil.
https://www.poweredbyforevergreen.org/Shop/catalog.aspx?c...

When you are dealing with a child, you need to remember that the oils are powerful (more is NOT better) and will need to be diluted 75% for those who are under 24 months of age and 50% for those under the age of 36 months. Diluted oil are done my blending with MESSAGE oil. Please call if you have any questions.###-###-####

L.

This is a link to the Dr. Sears website info on "fussy babies."

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/5/T051200.asp

Pediatricians now know that colic can be attributed to many other things like reflux, digestive problems, food allergies, baby's temperament, etc. When I had a fussy baby, I found this website really helpful. It also helped me know how to talk to my pediatrician about my baby. At first he just said "sounds like colic." After doing some of the things on this website, I went back to my ped and we discovered my baby had food allergies. It made a WORLD of difference. After a week of diet change, she slept almost 10 hours. Her spitting up, gas, long crying spells, etc really decreased once she started feeling better and sleeping through the night more consistently.

J.,

I was colicy as a baby and so was my daughter. I was in Germany and learned the problem is associated with intestinal gas. They had a product called Kindertee that was the answer. Naturally sweet, you add water to this instant tea. If you cannot find it, try making a tea of fennel seeds, which is what Kindertee is made of. Doesn't need to be strong - a little goes a long way.

I gave it to my daughter at bedtime. No ear trouble and it helped her relax into sleep naturally.

Give it a try.

K.

I see someone else below suggested "The Happiest Baby on the Block". It works like a charm--5 steps to soothe fussy babies. There were times with my daughter when we had to do all five to get her to calm down, but it always worked in the end. You should definitely get the video (perhaps from your local library) but until you have the chance, here are the 5 steps: 1. swaddle (he may hate it and it won't calm him by itself, but it's essential) 2. Hold him so that he's on his side or tummy NOT laying on his back (that triggers the startle reflex and upsets many babies) 3. Swing him gently in your arms or rock 4. Suck--put something in his mouth to suck 5. Shush--make a loud shushing noise directly in his ear. Dr. Karp says newborns have a wax plug that prevents this from being too loud and that in fact the noise in utero is as loud as a vaccuum cleaner, so they're used to it. So, 5 "S"s: swaddle, side, swing, suck, shush. You may have to do them all, like I did, but some babies calm immediately with just one or two. Good luck!

Acid reflux should also be ruled out - especially if he is crying most of the day (instead of just the typical evening hours of most colicky babies). My son never had the "typical" signs of reflux (i.e. spit up/vomiting), but he cried all of the time - especially if we tried to lay him flat on his back. There is something called "silent reflux" where the acid just comes up into the throat and makes them uncomfortable, but they never actually spit up much. Lying them on an incline and keeping them up 30 minutes after they eat helps some, but if it's bad enough, reflux medication can work wonders. It really helped our son. He's 9 months now and still on medication, although we're hoping his reflux is better by a year old. Anyhow, just a suggestion. I completely feel for the parents - no matter what the reason, listening to your child cry all of the time is one of the toughest things to go through!

My daughters were both the same way, so I feel for your family! One of the only things that would calm them down was a "sound box" which we got at Target. We would put on the river sound and turn it up pretty loud, but the sound would instantly calm them down. Hope this helps!

My daughter had colic that lasted for four to five months so I know what you are saying! We tried the gripe water from the health food stores and it seemed to help...a little. Mylcon did nothing. My friend had a little boy with colic and she switched him to soy formula and she said that he has been sooo much better. Had I known this I would have tried it! Good luck!

Our pediatrician reccommended trying Neocate infant formula. Our oldest daughter showed milk protein sensitivities and he suspects that the baby does too. Neocate is not sold in stores, is pricey, but worked wonders for our baby
R.

What is the feeding issue like? Is he breastfed? often times colic is tummy related and they can only think to call it colic. My son had a terrible time with colic to begin with. I started experimenting with things that I could cut out of my diet...I finally figured out that he was sensitive to dairy, chocolate, white potatoes, rice and flour, preservatives, caffeine and peanuts. It was hard changing my diet but comepletely worth it for a baby that smiled instead of screamed.
If you are using formula then it might be the lactose in the formula. Try soy formula or goats milk.
I used 1/2 of maalox if it got really bad but other then that gripe water and carbo veg homeopathics are my best friends.
Good luck!

All I have to say is "Baby Bliss" it is a natural liquid that is a miracle-worker. I have always ordered it online, however, I think they sell it at Walgreens now. Not sure.

I will say though, Baby Bliss has been successful for me and anyone I refer to it, however one of my children did have a problem that went further and he needed a prescription medication to correct it. If Baby Bliss does not work for your nephew then get the doc to take it more seriously. No one wants to see a baby upset. Good luck to her.