Colic: what to do

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Some parents can tolerate a lot of crying, but some can’t tolerate it at all. The crying will inevitably affect you, and will make you worry that there is something not right with your baby. It will also make you tense and sometimes anxious. These feelings are perfectly normal.

Two important things to do about your baby’s crying

• Have a nurse or doctor examine your baby to make sure that there is nothing physically wrong. This will reassure you and make it easier to use some of the strategies listed below.
  
• Make sure that you get enough rest and sleep and time for yourself. For mothers, it is easy to feel that you have to be ‘superwoman’ – that somehow you can manage every aspect of your baby’s care, keep a spotless home, and do shopping, cooking, and all the things you did before your baby came along. This is just impossible. It is vitally important that you organise things in such a way as to have time for yourself, as well as sufficient rest. Everybody – you, your family and especially your baby – suffers if you are stressed from trying to do too much.
  
• You cannot spoil babies by picking them up too often, or by cuddling or talking to them. Similarly, the notion of trying to ‘train’ babies to a four-hourly schedule does not gel with our understanding of infant development. Feed your baby whenever you think he is hungry – trust your instincts instead of watching the clock! It's OK to pick your baby up as much as you want to when he is crying.

Ideas to reduce your baby’s crying and fussing

Here are some ideas that may help to minimise how often, how long and how hard your baby cries and fusses. 

These approaches will not magically stop your baby crying but they may make things easier and more bearable until your baby gets older and can tell you what he needs. The crying and fussing are part of the normal development of most babies, and will pass in time.

You can try these approaches in any order. You can also experiment with several to see which are most likely to help your particular situation. If one of these strategies does not work after a while, then try another. Different things may help different babies, and something which has worked once may not work every time – you may have to try something else. You know your baby better than anyone else does.

1. Carry your baby frequently, not just when he’s crying. Respond quickly when he starts to cry or fuss. Do not worry about spoiling him – this won’t happen. 
   
2. Check to see if your baby’s nappy needs changing, or if he is too hot or too cold, or uncomfortable in his cot or basket.
   
3. Offer a feed if you sense he may be hungry, or if the last feed was more than two hours ago.
   
4. Sometimes your baby is not hungry but wants to suck. Offer him a dummy, or the breast, or encourage him to soothe himself by helping him find his own fingers or thumb to suck.
   
5. Speak softly to your baby, or sing to him, or play soft music. Your presence and voice may be soothing.
   
6. Gently rock or carry your baby in a baby carrier or sling – sometimes the movement and close proximity to a parent is soothing. Some babies quieten when taken for a walk in the pram. 
   
7. Some babies are bored and need the stimulation of being held, rocked or spoken to. Others appear to be easily overstimulated and need peace and quiet. Turn down the lights, and try to calm things down. Try to figure out what your baby needs when he cries and is difficult to console.
   
8. Try baby massage. This will often calm your baby and help you relax too, as well as strengthening the bond between you and your baby. Your maternal and child health nurse can teach you the technique of baby massage or you can read one of several books on the subject. 
   
9. A warm bath may settle your baby and promote sleep.
   
10. Drugs have a very limited place in the modern management of colic. There is no evidence that babies suffer from wind or intestinal spasm, so the colic mixtures have no logical or scientific basis. Other medications are used to sedate the baby, but you are best to only use these if your doctor thinks it’s a good idea, and then only for a very short time under close supervision. They are not recommended to take the place of the strategies listed above. Be wary if your health professional suggests that you give your baby medications of any kind; the things that are likely to work and which cause no harm to your baby are physical rather than pharmacological.
    
11. Changing what the mother is eating (if breastfeeding) or changing the formula (if bottle-feeding) are generally not helpful. There is very little evidence that babies are allergic to a particular type of milk, or to substances ingested by the mother and passed to the baby in the breastmilk. True milk allergy is uncommon, and the changes of formula are demoralising for parents and quite unhelpful to your baby in most cases. Occasionally, mothers will notice a change in their baby’s behaviour after they have eaten something in particular. If this occurs then, of course, this substance is best avoided. However, changes in the diet of the baby or mother are rarely helpful as a treatment for crying and fussing.
    
12. Ask your maternal and child health nurse for advice. They will be able to reassure you about your baby’s health, as well as checking your feeding techniques and providing valuable tips and advice on how best to manage your particular situation.

Do I need to see a doctor?

Many parents will want to see the doctor early on when their baby first begins to get restless and grizzly. Your doctor will perform a careful physical and neurological examination to rule out any medical causes, and may also be able to offer you practical advice. Make sure you see your doctor if:

• the strategies above fail to improve the symptoms
• your baby develops any other problems
• you are afraid you might hurt your baby
• you are worried for any other reason.

Is there a test for colic?

Investigations such as blood tests or X-rays are rarely helpful in babies with colic. The only time your baby would need tests is if the doctor thinks there might be some illness or infection that is making your baby cry.

Can I prevent it?

Because colic seems to be a common phase that most babies go through, it is difficult to prevent. There is some research showing that babies that are carried a lot (using a papoose or sling), even when they are not crying, have a tendency to cry and fuss less. There is something about being in contact with their mother or father that minimises crying. Research has shown that in cultures where the babies are carried constantly during the day, colic is literally unknown. You may be able to minimise stress and tension in your home by preparing yourselves for the arrival of your baby, and by having realistic expectations of what a newborn baby means in terms of workload and changes to your lifestyle.

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