Unfortunately, in spite of advertising, there is no cure for children's colic. Crying and nervousness continue regardless of the efforts of the parents to stop them. The only thing you can do is to make your child's state as easy as possible, and also be able to cope with your own anxiety and irritation. From this article you will learn what to do if the child is tortured by colic, and what to do, on the contrary, should not be.
In order to cope with colic, you should focus on alleviating the child's symptoms and on his peace of mind. And although there is no specific treatment for colic, you can quite reduce their manifestation in the baby. Parents should always monitor the state of their child - this is unquestionable. And every parent should know the specifics of his child and take them into account. After all, methods that are effective for some children may not be appropriate at all. Trying to cope with childhood colic, moms and dads often act by trial and error.
There is no prescription drug that could provide safe and effective treatment if the child is tortured by colic. Sedatives such as phenobarbital (luminal), chloral hydrate and alcohol should not be used in any form and are not recommended even in the most acute forms of colic. All drugs (including antacids) have side effects, some of them are dangerous for young children. Parents should always consult a pediatrician before giving the child a medicine, even without prescription. Currently, pharmacies offer many homeopathic remedies that promise to eliminate colic. But be careful! The majority of them include the above mentioned means, whose action is aimed at ensuring that the child calms down and falls asleep. They do not treat the cause of colic, they only act on the child, as a sleeping pill. He calms down - so do the parents. A grief-medicine makes a "black" matter in the body of a baby.
Methods that can soothe a child with colic include:
1. Proper feeding of the baby.
Sometimes crying can be a sign that the baby is hungry. A child with colic does not need to be kept on a strict diet. Believe me, this will not do anything, except that the child will weaken and wither away. Feed the baby! The only thing you can add to regular food is an aqueous solution of electrolyte (sold in pharmacies), which has a calming effect on the baby.
2. Exemption from gases
Keep the child in a vertical position and gently massage the tummy, thereby helping him to release the gases. You can put your baby on your knees along the face down - it also helps to get rid of excess gases. Because, in addition to pressing the stomach area, the very position of the body contributes to easier removal of gases. Put the child in the crib, make him a light massage - spend with your hands on the tummy and on the back. This also helps to relieve, and sometimes completely eliminate, the pain of colic. To sleep a child, who is tortured by colic, is best placed on the stomach in order to avoid the risk of sudden child death syndrome.
3. Swaddling
In our time it's already like not done to swaddle the children. And in vain! Our ancestors were smarter than us and they understood that swaddling comforts the child, gives him a sense of security and warmth. If your child has colic, try swaddling him in soft, warm diapers. You will live on how quickly he will calm down. The matter is that swaddling creates a peculiar "cocoon effect" in which the child is cozy, warm and safe. He relaxes, spasms pass, and with them the colic itself also passes. Well, or at least decrease, as much as possible.
4. Using the Warmer
Take a simple plastic bottle and fill it with warm water - the warmer is ready. Apply it on the area of the baby's tummy to ease its colic. A warm bath can also help, but you often should not resort to it - the baby can catch a cold.
5. Rhythmic stimulation
Many types of rhythmic movements have a calming effect on children. A rocking cradle or rocking chair is a good way out. But parents should not put the baby in the cradle before it reaches at least 3 weeks and begins to keep the head straight. Rhythmic stimulation can also include rocking a child in a stroller while walking, or driving a car with a child. You will be surprised, but many children who are tortured by colic quickly calmed down in the car and never cry from the pain in it.
6. Soothing sounds in the background
Quiet, soft sounds or just a conversation in a calm, gentle tone can soothe a child with colic. Relaxing music or the sounds of nature, such as falling snow or rain, ocean waves, heartbeat, are good at helping. Singing lullabies also helps. The child is placed in the crib and listens to the rhythmic sounds that come from some kitchen appliances (for example, a hair dryer, a washing machine, a vacuum cleaner). Never put the child directly on these devices - not only can it simply fall, sometimes injuries make children invalid. Just let it be there, you yourself will be surprised how soothing to the baby will act some everyday household sounds. But the sound of a phone call is often annoying and scares the child. Turn off the phone for a while, because it acts too annoyingly for the child who is being tortured by colic.
7. Calm environment around
Avoid excessive excitation of the environment. Babies with colic are very sensitive to loud sounds, bright light and movements around them. Let around will be quiet, you can even curtain the windows from bright sunlight. And refuse to receive guests - this is certainly not for the kid. Try to protect him as much as possible from unrest.
8. Using a Dummy
Babies often calm down as soon as they offer them a nipple. This is the child's natural reaction to breastfeeding. And although the dummy is a kind of deception, yet it acts more often without fail. But it is often not necessary to resort to it. This can become a habit, which will not be easy to get rid of later. In addition, the dummy negatively affects the growth and position of the teeth.
9. Changing the situation
Try to change the landscape. Sometimes environmental changes reduce colic. Try to vilify your child, for example, in a park or just in another room. It distracts the attention of the baby, switches it. True, this method is more suitable for older children - at least three months. Newborn infants on the environment react weakly, and changing the situation on them generally does not work.
Parents can also help the child reduce colic by changing the method of feeding infants. Here are some recommendations for eating:
1. Avoid underfeeding
Do not condemn the child to a diet! This can cause digestive discomfort, and then the child except for colic will also be tortured with terrible pain in the stomach. Feeding should be done every 2 hours, so that your child does not starve. Children who suffer from colic, have a normal appetite, they will be happy to eat the usual food. But remember: food should not be forced. As a rule, children with colic should eat less, but more often.
2. Keep the child eating slowly.
Fast food intake can lead to abdominal pain. If feeding takes less than 20 minutes, you are in a hurry. To baby slowly drink milk from a bottle, try using a pacifier with a small hole.
3. Hold the child upright.
Feeding should be done while the child is in an upright position to minimize the amount of air swallowed during meals. Excess air in the stomach leads to the formation of gases and diarrhea.
4. Help your child regurgitate more often
This prevents the accumulation of gases that cause abdominal pain. If the child is on artificial feeding, he should regurgitate after every 50-75 grams of the mixture. If you are breastfeeding, then belching can be done every 5 minutes. Always help the baby to regurgitate when he finishes eating. This is necessary to remove excess air, and eventually the children learn to eat without undue absorption.
Nursing mothers can change their diet by eliminating products that act badly on the baby. This includes dairy products and products containing soy, wheat and nuts. In addition, products containing caffeine (including chocolate) can adversely affect the condition of the child. On the other hand, the mother needs extra nutrition during breastfeeding and she should always consult a doctor before making changes to the diet.
The effect of alternative means, used in the case of children's colic, has not been proven. Their use can be dangerous. Do not do this if the child suffers from colic. There are many simple and effective folk remedies for relieving pain in toddlers. Such therapy includes some herbal drugs, oils and medicinal infusions (for example, chamomile, mint, dill), as well as massage. For many years, nothing more effective humanity has not yet invented. But in general, colic needs to just wait. Rarely do they last longer than four to five months. So do not despair, do not be angry and do not blame yourself for the suffering of your baby. This is a normal condition and it passes without a trace, without any consequences for the health of the child. Calm down and enjoy communicating with your baby.