Colic survival guide

It’s important to listen to your baby’s cry – what does it say? Understanding your baby’s cry, rather than stopping it, is your number one priority.  Then you can respond appropriately and reduce the fussing.

Also read: Sleep training the gentle way

Here’s a checklist:

• If sufficient time has passed since the last feed and hunger is the cause for crying, then feed your baby.
• Check for a dirty nappy.
• Avoid spending too much time burping your baby – prolonged burping and handling will cause your baby to become overstimulated and irritable.
• Watch how long your baby has spent awake. Each baby has his own particular threshold level at which sensory input becomes over-stimulating and causes disorganisation or sensory overload which leads to fussy behaviour.  Newborns can usually only manage about 45 – 60 minutes of awake time (which includes feeding time) before they become irritable.
• Loud voices, strong smells and bright lights may cause your baby to be fussy – check the environment and move your baby away from a busy environment to a darkened and quiet space if he is fussing.
• Identify the signals of over stimulation which include irritability, hiccups, sneezing, back and neck arching, frantic movements, tongue-thrusting, gagging, spitting up, frowning and grunting – all of which you may mistake for a sore tummy!  
• Instil a bedtime routine, and use a warm bath to calm him.
• Touch is a tool that mothers use intuitively with their babies, so do use massage your baby to help keep him calm.
• Remember that babies have a very active startle reflex which means that their arms flail away from the midline if not contained. This can over stimulate your baby and cause fussiness.
• Swaddle your baby but do allow his hands to be close to his mouth so he can suck his fingers to self-calm. Ensure the swaddle is firmly wrapped around his shoulders and body and that it is not too loose.
• Soothe him with the lulling movement of your body so he can feel close to you. Keep him upright against your body for at least 20 minutes after feeding. This position aids the digestive process and helps your baby to feel more comfortable after a feed.
• If you are breastfeeding, ensure that your milk supply is sufficient for his calorie needs by ensuring that you eat a healthy diet, rest when you can and keep your fluid intake adequate.
• Monitor your baby’s nappies (should be 6-8 wet nappies in 24 hrs) and overall growth and development in the early weeks and attend clinic if you are worried. In some instances, the milk that your baby is drinking (if formula fed) may not agree with his digestive system. Be sure to discuss this with your health care provider.

Avoid the temptation to over-handle to “fix” the problem – remain calm and try one strategy for a few minutes before changing to another.

Give yourself a break – use all the help on offer from friends and family, do something pleasurable for yourself, and know that this will pass.  Most babies grow out of the fussy colic stage at around twelve weeks of age.

Also read: How to give your baby a massage