Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle a baby with colic?

We are going out of our minds...DS screams so much and has such bad gas. We tried switching his formula 3 times and now he is on Enfamil Gentlease. The Dr. promises that he will grow out of this in about 1-2 months but meanwhile, I spend most of my day and night with him in tears from his screaming. We try to rock him, cuddle with him, and sing to him. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesnt. DH and I are so exhausted. Any suggestions would be great!

Re: Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle a baby with colic?

Have you tried Infant Massage? There is a routine for colic.

Re: Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle a baby with colic?

When Sarah had colic we found that white noise helped the best. It drowns out the other noises and helps them to relax.

We used to tune a radio in her bedroom to static or bring her in our room and turn on the tv but keep the cable box off and it was static. You need an older Tv for that to work. Some people run a vacuum for the same reason, but I didn't want to be stuck running the vacuum the whole time she slept.

Re: Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle a baby with colic?

Hi there... my daughter had terrible colic, which I hate to admit, lasted for almost 6 months, and it was all mostly due to bad bad gas (that she inherited from daddy ). I found some posts I responded to on the topic, so I cut and paste them here. Also, try to get your hands on a copy of "the happiest baby on the block" - it talks about babies with colic and the 5 s's that help with it (they must be done ALL together or it doesn't work): swaddle, place him/her on his side, shush in his/her ear, rock/swing him/her and let him/her suck on your finger or a pacifier - here is the link:

Happiest Baby

And here are my other suggestions:

Alex had TERRIBLE gas issues in the beginning... I mean TERRIBLE (she got it from her daddy...LOL) . She was BF, not formula. I took her to the doctor so many times and there really just wasn't anything they could do for her. I thought about switching her to formula, but I thought the payoff of protecting her from illness with the Breastmilk was more important. There are some ways to handle it:

-Try to distract your baby. It's hard in the beginning because they aren't as interested in their surroundings, but try as best you can. Sometimes it's as simple as taking her into a different room or changing her surroundings.

-Lay her on her left side, and push her legs up into a fetal position and rock her body a little, or pat her back. It helps get the farts out

-Lay her on her back and pump her legs

-Put her in the superman hold (Alex LOVED this... she would immediately stop crying when DH did this for her). Put her body over your arm. Her head should be in your hand, her legs towards your elbow and she should face downwards so that her belly is resting on your forearm. The pressure alleviates the gas.

-Use a sling or the Baby Bjorn. FOr some reason, it really helps to keep a gassy baby close to your body, probably because it's comforting. On days it was REALLY bad, I would put Alex in the Baby Bjorn and walk on the treadmill on the lowest setting. It usually worked like a charm.

As she gets older and her digestive system matures, and she's more aware of her surroundings, it WILL get better. Unfortunately, this is just something most babies have to grow out of...
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Oh boy... well, all I can tell you is it WILL get better! Alex was the same way for the first 4-5 months, and I think it was mostly because of gas. She was terrible - would never nap and whenever she was awake she would fuss, strain and cry. I tried everything, and there really wasn't any miracle cure, but here are some things that may help:

1- Keep trying with the swing. The movement distracts baby from the gas pains. Alex didn't take to the swing at first, but after a few weeks it was the only place she would sleep and/or nap.

2 - baby carrier. Keep baby close to you. It helps comfort them when they are uncomfortable and helps with napping. In the beginning, the only way I could get Alex to sleep was to put her in her baby carrier and walk on the treadmill on the lowest setting.

3 - Use a bassinet. In the beginning Alex didn't nap well in the crib, I think because it was so big. We bought a small bassinet that had a vibrate option on it, and had white noise on it as well. I do remember times when I would put her in there and she would actually sleep

4 - Use Mylicon consistently. It won't work when you use it sporadically.

5 - If her gas is very bad, try to let her sleep on her side. On the left side - I read an article about how laying on your left side allows trapped gas bubbles to travel out. I would rock Alex on her side and push her legs up to a fetal position - it often helped.

6 - Pump her legs like a bicycle to get out the gas.

7 - do the superman hold. This was one of the only things that worked with Alex when she was super fussy. DH would hold her on his forearm. Her head face down in the palm of his hand, her butt towards his elbow, with her tummy laying flat against his forearm. The pressure against her tummy helped ease the gas discomfort. If he walked around the house with her in that position, she would often fall asleep.

8 - Stroller/car ride. Again, the movement helps baby become distracted from the discomfort.

That's all I can think of for now!! Good luck and it WILL get better!

Re: Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle a baby with colic?

i used a vibrating bouncy seat and he seemed to like it for a while.

Re: Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle a baby with colic?

We found the only thing that helped was the vaccuum cleaner when she was really crazy...otherwise we walked with her, sung to her, did deep knee bends while holding her....sometimes the swing helped on a very high setting.
I never thought it would get better now I have the happiest baby ever! to you!

Re: Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle a baby with colic?

I feel for you big time. It seems like it will never end, but it does. Its glorious when it does!

Every baby is different , so you may find a strange combination of standing on one leg, bouncing up and down while in the bathroom with the fan on, or somethign like that , works. These are some things that helped:

The HAppiest Baby on the Block changed our lives. Yes, we were swaddling already and she was still crying. She didn't like it, we thought. Well, we weren't doing it tight enough( enough to make her feel snug) Once we figured that out, she loved it, and it calmed her down immediately

Take the baby outside if he is crying and won't stop. The fresh air sometimes quiets him down, the oustdie world provides a nice distraction( Maddy loved looking at trees and the cars going by), and his cries won't seem as suffocating to you when you are out in the fresh air. Its not even that cold out, so you can do that now.

I'll never know why this worked, but it did. See " Strange Things" , above. We would hold her close to our chest and run down a long hallway in our place saying " weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"
I spent way more time than I care to admit doing this. But, for whatever reason, it worked, so run and "weeee' I did.

And BTW, there is a CD of White Noise, I think its called Soothing Sounds that has a vaccum cleaner, a fan noise, etc. We just put it on repeat throughout the whole night. Now I even need it to sleep ! I'll see if I can find the website.


Good luck ...I know what you re going through

Re: Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle a baby with colic?

This might be a complete fluke, but it helped with my DD when she got fussy at night. And more importantly - my friend's baby who has really bad colic (screaming, crying, throwing up for literally 10 hours every single night). I suggested buying the Baby Papasan Cradle side to side swing. My friend hesitated because they tried EVERYTHING and she was so beat down that they went out and bought if for him for Xmas and...HE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT IN IT. They are on day 5 I think with no screaming and don't know what to do with themselves! Worth a shot right?

Re: Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle a baby with colic?

DS wasn't colicky, but I would definitely also recommend the Happiest Baby on the Block. I got the book, but never actually read it, I just watched the DVD. I think the techniques were really helpful for soothing and calming DS.

Re: Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle a baby with colic?

ENFAMIL NUTRAMIGEN!!!!!!
It is a formula for babies with Colic and was a LIFESAVER.
Also a swing....Jay calls it the rurbo rocker.
Also, holding him with his belly facing you and walk around bouncing him really works for Christopher.

Re: Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle a baby with colic?

Re: Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle a baby with colic?

make friends with your vaccum cleaner.

Re: Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle a baby with colic?

I'm sorry!

My DD had colic too - we went through a ton of different formulas before finding that Similac Alimentum worked best for her (Gentleease didn't do anything to help her). Have you considered switching formulas to one that is hypoallergenic like Alimentum or Nutramagin?

We also gave DD Mylicon after every bottle and she was on Zanta for a/r. My ped suggested trying belly sleeping and that helped her too - she was able to pass gas better. We have the Angel Care monitor which monitors sound and movement so I wasnt worried about her and breathing.

She did grow out of it after a little while, I'd say between 6-8 weeks. But the Similac Alimentum really helped her a lot. Also - make sure you're giving the baby the RTF formula, not the powdered kind.

Re: Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle a baby with colic?

I forgot to say that I took Noah to a Cranial Osteopath when he was colicky...I have a few friends who swear that Cranial Osteopathy does miracles for colicky babies!

Re: Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle a baby with colic?

Posted by MrsJ

I'm sorry!

My DD had colic too - we went through a ton of different formulas before finding that Similac Alimentum worked best for her (Gentleease didn't do anything to help her). Have you considered switching formulas to one that is hypoallergenic like Alimentum or Nutramagin?

We also gave DD Mylicon after every bottle and she was on Zanta for a/r. My ped suggested trying belly sleeping and that helped her too - she was able to pass gas better. We have the Angel Care monitor which monitors sound and movement so I wasnt worried about her and breathing.

She did grow out of it after a little while, I'd say between 6-8 weeks. But the Similac Alimentum really helped her a lot. Also - make sure you're giving the baby the RTF formula, not the powdered kind.

Re: Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle a baby with colic?

Re: Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle a baby with colic?

I agree with everything that has been said so far. I totally know how you feel and thought there was something wrong with my DD because all she did was cry. Here is what worked for me:

1. The running facuet is her thing. When she is having a fit I run the water really hard and hold her near it. She will stop crying long enough for me to get the binky in.

2. Swaddle with the miracle blanket

3. SHHHHHHHHHHH & patting at the same time calms her down

4. The swing. Sometimes I had to sit next to it shushing but it did work.

5. When all else fails I put my headphones on and crank my ipod all the way up. I still try to calm her down, but listening to music and signing to her helps me stay sane.

It does get easier. Everyday is better. You'll get there...I promise!

Re: Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle a baby with colic?

We went through 6 formulas before we found NEOCATE- it was a lifesaver!!!!!

Re: Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle a baby with colic?

Thank you all so much for the suggestions

Re: Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle a baby with colic?

I tried everything everyone recommended and nothing worked until my mother found me colic calm. It works but you have to give it to them at least 2 times a day. It calms the water to make you sane but not perfect. Just enough to get some sleep. Go onto colicalm.com you can buy the pacifier that you can put the fluid in. Oh yea by the way it is all natural.
Good luck. I know what you are going through, my son is 11 weeks old and he has gas and intestine problems. But I keep saying there has to be an end. Let me know how it goes if you use it.

Message edited 1/3/2007 11:16:14 PM.

Re: Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle a baby with colic?

Posted by bedda26

Posted by MrsJ

I'm sorry!

My DD had colic too - we went through a ton of different formulas before finding that Similac Alimentum worked best for her (Gentleease didn't do anything to help her). Have you considered switching formulas to one that is hypoallergenic like Alimentum or Nutramagin?

We also gave DD Mylicon after every bottle and she was on Zanta for a/r. My ped suggested trying belly sleeping and that helped her too - she was able to pass gas better. We have the Angel Care monitor which monitors sound and movement so I wasnt worried about her and breathing.

She did grow out of it after a little while, I'd say between 6-8 weeks. But the Similac Alimentum really helped her a lot. Also - make sure you're giving the baby the RTF formula, not the powdered kind.

Does powdered formula make them gassy? I was just wondering.