Tips for Baby Colic
Colic or stomach cramps are common in babies. These cramps are usually the result of the intestines maturing. The transition from having no food at all to processing food 6 to 10 times a day is quite an adjustment for your baby’s digestive system. The severity of the cramps varies from baby to baby. If your baby suffers a lot, as a parent you may feel sad and powerless.
The peak of stomach cramps often occurs between 6 and 8 weeks. After around 12 weeks, the cramps usually lessen and eventually disappear altogether. Still, 12 weeks of sleepless nights can feel like a long time.
How do you recognise colic?
Colic usually begins half an hour to an hour after feeding. Unfortunately, babies cannot speak yet, so they express their discomfort in other ways, such as:
- Intense crying (sometimes sounding like screaming)
- Pulling up their legs
- Kicking with their legs
- Clenched fists
- A flushed, red face
-
Waking suddenly during sleep and crying
If your baby also shows the following symptoms:
- Diarrhoea or foul-smelling stools
- Fever
- Vomiting
These are not typical signs of colic, and it is advisable to contact your doctor.
What can you do to relieve colic?
There are different ways to ease the pain of colic. Our tips:
- Tummy massage – Gently make circular movements clockwise on your baby’s tummy. This may help release trapped air and relieve pain.
- Bicycling the legs – Move your baby’s legs gently up and down as if pedalling. This stimulates bowel movement and helps air escape.
- Chamomile tummy compress – Chamomile is known for its relaxing and soothing properties and may ease colic.
- Applying warmth – Place a warm (not hot) hot-water bottle or use wool to keep the tummy comfortably warm. Warmth relaxes the intestinal muscles and can reduce cramps.
- Laying your baby on their tummy across your arm – The gentle pressure on the tummy can bring relief.
Tips to reduce the likelihood of colic:
- Positioning during feeding – Make sure your baby latches on well during breastfeeding or seals the teat properly when bottle-feeding. This reduces the amount of air swallowed. For bottle-feeding, you can also use an anti-colic teat.
- Burping during and after feeds – Too much air in the intestines can cause cramps. Burping your baby regularly helps release excess air.
- A calm environment and routine – Feed your baby in a quiet, relaxed setting. A tense baby often swallows more air, which can worsen cramps. Try to keep feeding calm and stress-free.
- Watch your own diet (if breastfeeding) – Some foods you eat, such as cabbage, onions, or caffeine, can cause colic in your baby. Keep a food diary to see if symptoms increase after specific foods.
If the cramps and sleepless nights make you feel insecure or exhausted, share the care with your partner or someone you trust. Staying calm during feeding helps. Babies are sensitive to their parents’ moods and may pick up on restlessness. Note: don’t feel guilty or like you are failing. It has nothing to do with that. Trust yourself and each other!
Do you have valuable tips that are missing here? Let us know! We’d love to learn and add them.
