What is colic?

Colic

Find out about colic and what you can do to help your baby

What is colic? 

• Colic is one of the most common feeding problems in young babies
• No one is entirely sure exactly what causes colic but possible reasons include; immaturity of the digestive system, trapped wind, lactose intolerance and the balance of gut bacteria. Maternal smoking also appears to play a role

How do you know if your baby has colic?  

• Crying in young babies is quite normal and babies cry for all sorts of reasons, such as being hungry, having a dirty nappy or being unwell
• Symptoms of colic include;
  • Lots of crying
  • Screwed up eyes
  • A flushed face
  • Clenched fists
  • Legs pulled up to the chest
• Colic is defined as a baby crying for more than 3 hours each day over more than 3 days a week for a period of 3 weeks
• It often starts from 2-3 weeks of age and is often worse during late afternoons and evenings
• Colic normally goes away by 3-6 months of age with no long term effects on your baby

Is there a cure for colic? 

• Unfortunately not but there are lots of things that you can try and do to soothe your baby including;
  • Giving them lots of cuddles; rock them gently or have them close to you in a sling. Try holding them in different positions too
  • Putting your baby in a warm bath (always supervised)
  • Trying some distraction techniques, such as singing, looking in a mirror and showing them toys
  • Movement can be comforting; try walking or gently dancing with your baby. Going for a drive in the car can be soothing too
  • In some cases babies seem to find household noises such as the vacuum cleaner, washing machine or a hairdryer soothing
  • Gripe water or colic drops are available. There are different types, so ask your pharmacist for advice
• Don’t despair if none of these work. Talk to your health visitor for further advice and speak to other mums with colicky babies to see what works for them

What about feeding? 

• Frequent winding whilst feeding can help, especially if your baby tends to feed quickly. Try different winding techniques and allow plenty of time at the end of feeding for winding
• Try not to let your baby get too hungry between feeds. Feed them in smaller volumes more regularly may help
• Colic tends to occur equally amongst breast and bottle-fed babies but there are special tips depending on which method of feeding you have chosen;

Breastfeeding

• You may need to have a look at your diet; caffeine, spicy foods, garlic, dairy foods that promote wind (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, onions) have all been associated with colic
• Keep a note of what you eat and see if there seems to be any link; do talk to your health visitor or GP before cutting important foods out of your diet

Bottle-feeding

• Make sure that the teat is full of milk at all times during feeding
• Try anti-colic teats or bottles; these are widely available
• Your baby could be having difficulty digesting lactose (a milk sugar), in which case changing to a lactose-free formula (such as SMA LF ) may help. Speak to your healthcare professional for more advice

Posted in: Article