Natural Ways to Soothe Colic in Your Baby

Having had seven kids, colic is one of those ailments that I have dealt with many times. Unfortunately doctors still do not know exactly what causes colic in a baby, they do know that the crying is something that is a constant daily ritual. It can start from the time of birth up to six months, and can last five minutes to three hours. It just all depends. There is nothing medically that can be done to soothe the crying when it comes to colic. There are ways however of soothing the child when colic begins.

1. Always make sure to burp your child when he or she is done eating. Remember that it can take more than a couple of minutes to get that burp up and out. Just rub their back while he or she is over your shoulder.

2. Do not overfeed your child. Best way to make sure of that is to feed them for ten minutes at a time and then burp them. This allows all the air to escape, diminishing the chances of the colic to arise.

3. Lay your child on their stomach across your legs. Babies love this position. Now start rubbing their back in a circular motion, this allows the child to calm down. It also allows the gas to be removed from the stomach area.

4. Start a warm bath and get inside with your child. Hold your child afloat so that he or she knows they are safe and begin to rock them back and forth in the water. Do this until they are calm and have stopped crying.

5. Stand up and bounce the baby lightly to help break up those gas bubbles that cause a colic attack. Do not bounce hard, just up and down very gently.

Now although these tips can help ease the pain of colic in your child, it does not mean it will completely go away. Colic is one of those things that you just have to work through and deal with if your child does start having attacks. Yes, it can get extremely stressful and you might just want to sit down and cry right along with them. I know, I have many times when nothing seems to work. Just breath and relax when the attacks do tend to get a little more than you can handle. You being upset does nothing for your child and makes things more stressful.

I have found that if none of the above work, which is very rare might I add, that taking a walk outside and allowing the baby to get some fresh air usually takes their mind off of the colic attack. Always remember, if you believe their is something wrong other than colic make sure you take the baby to the doctors immediately. A parent's instinct is usually right on target.