Solutions for Colic
Colic is one of the biggest conundrums for any mum or doctor caring for a young baby. We all search for the definitive answer to calming crying babies and a number of theories abound on why babies cry and how to sooth them. An article in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care (Sept/Oct 2007) caught my eye because it looked at all the recent research on colic and calming colicky babies. What might interest you is what works and what doesn’t according to the research:
- Swaddling - decreases crying duration in babies less than 8 weeks old ( van Sleuwen et al 2006)
- Decreasing stimulation - reduces infant crying (Wolke et al 1994)
- Carrying baby - data inconclusive unless combined with massage (Elliott et al 2002)
- ‘Regimented daily routine’ - reduced number of parents seeking help for crying (St James-Roberts et al 2001)
- A consistent routine - promotes babies to self regulate (St James-Roberts et al 2001)
- A crib vibrator - data does not support effectiveness in reducing colic (Barr et al. 1991)
- Swaddling is superior to massage (Ohgi et al 2004)
- Counseling alone - not effective (Parkin et al 1993)
- Reflux medication - does not work any better than placebo pills (Heine et al 2006)
Interesting information! In my experience it is a process of trial and error to find your baby’s ‘off-switch’. I was amazed and impressed by the calming tips moms wrote to us with for the Calming tip campaign - check them out in our book “A Mother’s Sense of Calm”
Hi Meg
You are so right. With a baby most things are trial and error. Each baby is so individual that what works for one doesnt work for the other. I saw this in my own children. Tom was the perfect child who was settled and slept well, who was calm and contented. Dan was very fractious and niggly. Tom needed very little soothing input from me, whilst I would spend hours soothing Dan, walking with him in his sling and calming him. My life saving products I used with my boys were a Swaddle blanket, a sling and a dummy. To this day I still use my sling every day with Dan. He is almost 2, and we use it on the school run, and at times when he is really upset. He even asks for it or brings it to me when he is battling to calm down. I guess being close to his mum is his best place to be.