10 ways to soothe Colic in babies

Almost every parent goes through this routine sometime in the first few months after their baby is born. Your baby starts to cry incessantly and for no apparent reason. You might go through a mental checklist – Feed – check, Diaper change – check, the room temperature is neither too cold or too warm – check, your baby is covered adequately with a blanket – check. But your baby doesn’t stop crying. And if this happens in the middle of the night, it is even desperate because as a new parent, you might feel helpless.
This incessant crying could simply be a sign of Colic. Colic is nothing but gas that is trapped in the digestive tracts of your baby. These gas bubbles form when your baby along with its feed also sucks air in. This air creates a vacuum and becomes trapped gas and is called Colic. This Colic pain makes your baby very uncomfortable and possibly even painful. So, your baby expresses this Colic pain in the only way they can – by crying.

So how do you solve Colic?

Well, here are 10 ways you can ease the Colic pain for your baby.

Swaddle Them

Wrap your baby in a way it cannot move its hands and legs. The wrapping should not be too tight but should hold your baby’s hands and legs in place without moving. This will create a feeling like your baby is in your womb and help them to stop crying. You can remove the swaddle or wrap when your baby is able to turn around on its own without any help.

Shift Positions

Parents tend to cradle a colicky baby face-up. That is a wrong position. Hold your baby face down that is your baby’s face should be facing the ground and your hand should be exerting pressure on their stomach. Gently of course. This pressure will relieve any excess gas in the stomach.

Turn On White Noise

Run the water in the sink near your baby or the vacuum cleaner or a dishwasher. Anything that would create some noise without your baby being able to see. These noises will make your baby feel that they are back in your womb because that’s what your baby heard when he/she was in your womb. A lot of whooshing noises that aren’t very clear.

Pacify Them

Use a pacifier. Infants have a strong sucking instinct, so a pacifier can calm your colicky baby.

Shh!

Make this sound right in your colicky baby’s ear. Don’t be afraid to make a louder noise. Shh loudly enough so that your baby can hear you over their own noises in their ears.

Take a Ride

You were constantly moving when you were pregnant. This means your baby is used that constant movement. So put your baby in a rocking chair or a cradle and rock them. Or just on a ride. This will also soothe your baby’s colic.

Baby Massage

Babies love the feeling of touch. So a gentle massage always helps. Massage them over their legs, arms, back and chest. It will make your baby sleep better. In addition, you can also gently massage the stomach or hold their legs and bicycle the legs towards their stomach and back. This will relieve colic.

Wear Your Baby

In many cultures, infants spend much of the day in slings on their mothers’ backs or chests. When you put your colicky baby in a sling or carrier, they can snuggle close and — with luck — may be lulled to sleep by your movement.

Burp Them

A crying baby can gulp down a lot of air. That can make them gassy and bloated — and make their crying worse. Burp them with gentle thumps on their back. The classic position — with the baby’s head over your shoulder – works.

Give them Woodward’s Gripe Water

Woodward’s Gripe Water is an Ayurvedic formulation that helps relieve Colic pain in babies. Almost immediately. Woodward’s Gripe Water has been around for over 170 years and is the most trusted brand of Gripe Water to relieve Colic.