Is your baby’s constant wailing making you crazy? If the crying spell lasts more than three hours, we hate to break it to you that your baby may have colic. Colic typically begins in a baby’s second or third week of life and lasts six to eight weeks.
When a newborn is sobbing because of colic, it is ineffective to soothe them by changing diapers, rocking, burping, or feeding them. Here are a few suggestions to relax your colicky baby to help make the situation less stressful for you.
1. Maintain Movement
Babies are used to a lot of movement in the womb. If you get your baby moving, they might experience the security of a womb and knock them out quickly. You can rock them to sleep in a rocking chair or create a swing for them.
Another option is to put them in a vibrating baby seat. Even better, you and your partner could take a relaxing car ride together while your colic baby dozes off soundly.
2. Try Burping the Baby
An infant that is crying might take in a lot of air. It may cause gas, which could worsen their sobbing. Burp them and lightly tap their backs to release the gas. The traditional position, with the infant’s head over your shoulder, is helpful but can result in a spit-up trail down your back.
You can alter their burping position by laying them face down on your lap and supporting their chest and neck with your arms or make them seated upright with a patting motion on their back.
3. Swaddle Them
Swaddling could make you feel like you’re in a prison. However, it’s like returning to a secure den for restless, crying babies: a mother’s womb. Try to wrap your baby burrito as tight as you can.
They shouldn’t have free movement of their arms and legs. When swaddling, make sure you’re putting the baby on its back. Stop swaddling them as soon as they start to turn over as they might topple over.
4. Massage Them
You can use your soothing touch to calm a colicky infant. Many babies enjoy having a skin-to-skin feel. Babies enjoy massages, which can help them sleep better and cry less. Remove your child from the blankets and give them firm, long strokes on their limbs, legs, chest, and back.
Before using any lotion or oil on your infant, check with your pediatrician to be sure it’s okay for them to use. Cycle their legs or rub their tummies in a circular motion to release the gas and ease the pressure.
5. Alter Their Cradling Posture
Most parents try to comfort their wailing infants by holding them faced-up when cradling. It might help to calm a typical crying baby, but a colicky baby won’t.
Try resting their head on your forearm with face down and place your hands under their stomach to soothe and calm a colicky infant. It helps release the gas that is troubling them, thanks to the pressure on their stomach.
6. Recreate the Calming Womb Sounds
Making your colicky infant feel like they are back in the womb is the best method to soothe them down. White noise is one method for achieving this. Your kid may experience a sense of being in the womb by hearing white noise.
A fetus experiences a lot of background noise and whooshing when in the womb. Therefore, you must try emulating the same calming sounds by turning on the fan, running your vacuum, turning on the shower, tuning a radio to static, or by any other means.
A constant, low-volume sound will help calm a colic baby, giving them an impression of being inside their mother’s womb, which they are used to.
7. Calm Them with a Pacifier
Your infant can effectively relieve their colic symptoms on their own by sucking. Sucking is more than a survival mechanism for infants; it also offers comfort and lowers the stress hormone cortisol in the brain. An infant becomes calm and can regain some equilibrium. Therefore a pacifier can help calm your colicky baby.
8. Visit a Pediatrician
If the weeping fits become excessive, take your baby to the doctor. A qualified and knowledgeable pediatrician can help you identify the probable medical causes that may be triggering your baby.
A Thru Z Pediatrics helps to find out the underlying cause of your baby’s uncontrolled crying spells. Our skilled pediatricians provide affordable primary care pediatric services for infants and young in San Antonio. We employ experts who will guide you on meeting your child’s needs to keep them happy and healthy.
We also provide immunizations, ADHD testing, well-child visits San Antonio, telemedicine services, and other services to maintain your child’s health.
Contact us today to learn more about our services.