Baby Crying and Baby Colic – How to Deal Effectively with both

Colic is a scary word. It conjures up pictures in our mind of a constantly crying baby and tired harried parents. Colic is defined as, A condition of infants characterized by frequent crying do to various discomforts. When babies cry without being hungry, in pain, or overheated it is generally called colic. Colic is not the result of bad parenting and you should not blame yourself. Babies who have colic generally want to be held and have a more sensitive temperament. Some people belive that colic is because of a stomach ache, however that is just a myth so you shouldn’t worry about extra burping or specialized nipples. This fussy crying is harmless for your baby. Usually the hard crying starts to improve after 2 months or so and is usually gone by the time the baby is 3 or 4 months old. In the meantime there are 6 ways that can help you cope with your colicky baby.

Coping With Colic

1. Hold and try to sooth your baby. It is not possible to spoil your baby in the first 3 or 4 months of life. You could rock your baby or try using a wind up baby swing. Sometimes a walk outside in a stroller will help and many babies react well to a ride in the car. ( There is now a new gaget called Sleep Tight that mimics the motion and sound of a moving car. It costs about $90.)

A warm bath will also help in certain situations.

2. If none of the above quiets your baby and there is no discernable reason for the crying you can let your baby cry itself to sleep. Minimize outside stimuli and try wraping your baby up tightly ( swaddling). If after 15 or 20 minutes the crying has not stopped pick up your baby and start again with step # 1.

3. You don’t always have to rock your baby to sleep. If you always rock your baby to sleep, later she will become dependant on that. Let your baby learn to self-comfort and put herself to sleep. Sooth your baby and then when she is not crying put her in her crib and let her go to sleep on her own.

4. Promote nighttime sleeping. Your baby needs a lot of sleep, however to promote nighttime sleep don’t let your baby sleep all day. After your baby naps 3 hours gently wake her. Then take the time to play with her, feed her or attend to her other needs. This way your baby’s longest sleeping time, about 5 hours, will occur at night.

5. Get rest and help for yourself. You cannot take good care of your baby if you don’t take care of yourself. Avoid fatigue and exhaustion. Nap when your baby naps. Ask your husband, friends, and family to help you. Talk to someone everyday about your problems and feelings. Its ok to be frustrated. The constant crying is hard for anyone to deal with. If it is possible let someone else care for the baby while you can get out of the house occasionally.

6. Avoid over the counter medications. Most of these are not affective and some of them can be dangerous. (Especially those containg phenobarbital.)

A baby with colic can be difficult to deal with but giving your baby plenty of TLC is the best medicine. Keep in mind this will only last a few months. Your baby is precious and beautiful. In the long run all that crying will be just a memory.