Best Natural Colic Remedies for Baby

It’s heartbreaking to see your newborn suffering from colic. You feel so helpless, not to mention tired and worried. Up to 40% of babies develop colic, an almost unexplainable ailment that starts a few weeks after birth and lasts for several months. Whenever your baby is having trouble it is always a good idea to visit your Pediatrician.

Some signs of colic may be:

• Predictable crying episodes – A baby who has colic often cries about the same time every day, usually in the late afternoon or evening. Colic episodes may last from a few minutes to three hours or more on any given day.
• Your baby’s face being red and flushed when they cry.
• Following a colic episode, or towards the end of it, your baby may have a bowel movement or pass gas which seems to offer temporary relief.
• Intense or inconsolable crying –The cry of a colicky baby is like a high pitched siren for Moms and Dads. The piercing sound goes straight to your heart.
• Tensing Up – Colicky babies are often uncomfortable, and as a result you may notice changes in their posture. A baby will tense every muscle, drawing in the legs and feet, tightening his little fists into tiny balls, squinching up their little face. 

There are a few different causes for baby colic, all having to do with the digestive system. Baby colic is usually caused by gas, by an immature digestive system, by the baby swallowing air or by trace substances passed through the mother’s digestive system and into the breastfed milk.

How can you remedy baby colic? Here are a few methods:

Remedy #1 Clean up Your Diet

If your baby is breastfeeding, try cutting dairy, caffeine (including chocolate), spicy foods, nuts and cruciferous vegetables from your diet. Your baby could be intolerant to cow’s milk or other forms of dairy products. Trace amounts could be making their way to your baby through your body. The same applies to caffeine, nuts and cruciferous vegetables, which can turn into gas in your baby’s stomach, causing distension and discomfort.

Remedy #2 Drink Fennel Tea

A breastfeeding mother can drink organic Fennel Tea.  Some research suggests that fennel tea may help reduce colicky symptoms.

Remedy #3 Change Baby Formula

If you are feeding your baby formula, consider switching formulas. This simple process has helped many babies. Make sure to talk to your doctor before making any decisions.

Remedy #4 Give your Baby a Massage

Giving your baby’s tummy a relaxing massage can really help calm your baby down. One book that can help you with this is: Baby Massage, the Calming Power of Touch. This will give you massage techniques to help your baby.

Remedy #5 Homeopathic Treatment

Boiron Cocyntal Baby Colic Relief Medicine is the cleanest colic treatment we have found. It is very hard to find a preservative free remedy. All the gripe waters and remedies we looked at had preservatives or additives we do not recommend, especially for a newborn! We like Boiron because:

• It is Benzocaine & Preservative-Free
• Sterile, single-use liquid oral doses
• For babies 1 month and up – although you can ask your Doctor if you need to use it earlier
• Available in box of 15 doses

Remedy #6 Calm Environment

The Marpac Dohm White Noise machines are great for creating a calm and peaceful environment. Babies have just spent their entire life in the womb. The sound in a womb is just slightly less loud than a lawnmower so loud is normal to a baby. They are soothed by white noise because it sounds like “home.”

Any one of these remedies can help with your baby’s colic and give you a more peaceful day or night. Happy Mothering!