Colic is one of those newborn baby topics that nearly every new parent on the planet has heard of. Either themselves or their friends or family members have experienced it with their babies. Your pediatrician may have told you “hang in there. Your baby will grow out of it in 3-4 months”. As a new parent, hearing that can be daunting!
Today, we delve into Colic, what it is and how to help your baby that may have it.
BUT, before we get started I’m going to let you in on a secret. Shhh! – As an baby expert, Newborn Care Specialist and Pediatric Sleep Consultant, I don’t believe in Colic. I will tell you why below.
What is Colic?
Colic is defined as a medical condition by the rule of 3’s:
- You baby cries for 3 hours per day;
- For 3 day per week;
- For 3 weeks in a row.
Basically, a baby diagnosed with Colic, is a baby that is irritable, fussy and cries a lot. They may be unconsolable, only wanting to sleep while being held and/or very hard to soothe.
Why I Don’t Believe in Colic
Essentially, colic stems from underlying needs that have not been met or from discomfort your baby is experiencing. Please trust me when I say this. Every baby that I have worked with that was diagnosed with colic, no longer has colic after I am able to get to the root cause of the baby’s needs and discomfort.
How You Can Help Your Baby With Colic
As a parent, you actually have a lot of influence on your baby’s colic. It’s just understanding what you CAN do and what may NOT BE HELPING. Here are a few things you should focus on to help get rid of your baby’s colic:
Identify if your baby’s food source may be causing them discomfort.
It is very common for dairy based formulas to cause a newborn baby’s immature digestive tract some trouble. The casein in the cow’s protein is actually really hard to digest for an infant. Opt for a goat, A2 cow’s or pea based formula for your baby. Double check with your baby’s pediatrician first.
Identify if your baby may be uncomfortable because they are gassy.
Gas generally has two primary causes.
Aerophagia – this type of gas is caused by the way your baby feeds as well as their latch. If you baby has a tongue or lip tie, it will cause their latch to be compromised and they take in excess air. This air needs to come out of their belly either through burping or tooting.
Gas produced from a food source that your baby’s belly doesn’t agree with.
Don’t allow your baby to become overtired.
Newborn babies especially have very short wake windows. Sometimes all they need to do is eat and go straight back to sleep. Wake windows for a newborn constantly change as they grow. Start with 5-10 minutes the first 2 weeks for 1 or 2 wake cycles, then build from there.
Don’t allow your baby to become overstimulated.
A baby that is overstimulated will have a hard time settling and this can be misread by parents. As a newborn under 2 months of age, there is no need to do any excessive stimulation with noise making toys or excess lights on in the home. It does not take much for a newborn to become overstimulated.
Burp your baby well.
Again, Aerophagia.
Swaddle your baby.
The startle reflex will continually wake your baby from sleep. Any newborn under 3 months old should be swaddled for sleep (as long as they are not rolling over onto their tummy or indicating that they will soon).
Place them to sleep in a dark, quiet space WITH WHITE NOISE.
There are a number of reasons babies sleep better in a darkened space. Please trust me on this one! White noise recreates the womb environment and will drown out other background noises in the home. Cue screaming toddler, barking dogs and multiple humans moving about their days in not so discreet ways.
Follow an eat, play, sleep schedule.
This flow of routine will help your newborn to have the energy to eat, vs playing and then getting too tired to eat.
The good news is that you don’t have to “suck it up” and deal with it for months and months on end. There is so much you can do to help. If you feel overwhelmed or are still struggling after trying some of these suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us here. We are experts in this area and would be so happy to help!
