4 effective tips to calm down a baby troubled with colic!

Crying is the most fundamental way how babies communicate their needs. If your baby is crying inconsolably, try to look for deeper reasons. One of them could be colic! A colicky baby is someone who is less than 5 months old and often cries uncontrollably, every day for at least 3 hours or more. It’s not really a disease or a condition, so there is nothing really to worry about except that it’s quite irritating and can cause lot of stress for parents. Park your worries and follow these easy steps to bring back the smile on your baby’s face.

1. WARM BATH

One of the best ways of soothing digestive discomfort is to have a warm bath and that holds true for babies too. The soothing effect lasts until you remove them from this safe, snuggly environment but at least it gives you a temporary respite from the endless crying.

2. ANTI-COLIC BOTTLES

If your baby is only bottle  fed or bottle & breastfed, it might be worth trying anti-colic bottles. These specially-designed bottles have internal vent which is supposed to eliminate the vacuum and air bubbles in a milk feed, thus helps in reducing burrps, wind and digestive discomfort. According to a recent research study, probiotics can also soothe colicky babies. In a study conducted by researchers at the University of Bari, Italy, on  468 healthy newborns, it was found that those infants who received the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri Protectis, cried for less than half the time to those who received only placebos. 

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3. BABY MASSAGE

If your baby is really unsettled, try giving him or her a gentle tummy tummy massage, moving your hands in a clockwise direction (following the direction of your baby’s intestines) which encourages the trapped wind to move the right way. You can also move your baby’s legs towards his or her tummy to ease things. Hold your baby’s knees together, gently bend the legs at the knees and push them towards the tummy, hold the legs in this position for a count of six.

4. BURPING

Regular burping during and after a feed will help prevent the wind becoming trapped in the bowels causing discomfort. Sitting your baby upright or stretching them out on your shoulder are good positions to help bring up a burp in your baby.  There are other varied winding techniques you can also experiment with. 

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5. SWADDLING

This age-old practice mainly involves wrapping your baby in a sheet, blanket or specially-designed swaddle with arms pinned to their sides and it is thought to induce sleep and soothe excessive crying and colic.

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So follow these tips in case you have a colicky baby too and see your baby happy and content. After all, a baby’s smile is the most precious, beautiful and enigmatic thing in the entire universe!

Also read – 15 natural remedies to treat your little one’s cold and cough 

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