Baby colic is a well-known concern for new parents, even those who have never experienced it firsthand. Strikingly intense, it causes sharp pain, intense crying and characteristic movements in newborns that are not always easy to soothe. Of course, doctors, pediatricians, and other early childhood professionals are your best resource for helping your baby, but here are some tips, tricks, and good reflexes to relieve baby colic.
Baby Colic: What It Is and Why It Causes Babies to Suffer
Infant colic closely resembles the colic you may experience after overeating, only the cause is different. Pain, gas, and bloating trigger major crying episodes in very young children. While not all babies are affected, many infants do experience colic.
The reason for this pain, which we would gladly do without, is still relatively unknown. Doctors and specialists are divided between:
- The immaturity of the baby's digestive and nervous systems,
- a less diverse gut microbiome,
- the amount of air swallowed during bottle feeding,
- Fermentation of breast milk in the stomach and the mother's diet for breastfed babies,
- possible food intolerances such as to cow's milk proteins, for example…
One thing is certain: the pain caused is intense, enough to put the nerves and hearts of the whole family to the test.
Characteristic Symptoms to Watch For
Striking mainly because of their intensity and because they can begin very early in a child's life — sometimes from birth, but most often around 3 weeks, continuing until about 4 or 5 months old — infant colic is identifiable by the particular behavior it triggers.
It usually arises in the evening hours and almost always, very soon after feeding. Baby writhes in all directions and nervously pulls the legs up toward the belly.
Bloated, the baby suffers from gas that seems to offer short-term relief. Soon after expelling gas, the pain returns.
To express this, the infant screams and cries loudly. Baby’s congested, often red face shows the strain and discomfort. Even sleep may be restless. Sometimes, the baby wakes up screaming. Understandably, parents can feel helpless—sometimes not knowing how to calm their baby.
However, centuries of love and careful observation have given us some clues on how to soothe a colicky baby.
5 Ways to Soothe Colic Pain in Infants
Nothing is more difficult than seeing your child in pain and not knowing what to do. Unfortunately, when it comes to colic, there’s no magic solution. However, depending on the baby and the moment, some measures can soothe or even completely relieve the pain.
Quickly Create a Calm Environment
Right after feeding, if you notice your baby showing signs of discomfort or pain, create a calm and gentle atmosphere around you. Close the curtains or lower the blinds, play your baby’s favorite lullaby, and give them their comfort blanket or pacifier for reassurance.
Turn Your Forearm into a Hammock to Rock Your Baby
This is a surprising position often used by dads, whose forearms seem made for it. To calm your baby, lay them belly down across your forearm, with the head resting in your hand and limbs hanging on either side of your arm.
Combined with gentle rocking or walking regularly around the house, this posture, thanks to the pressure it applies to the tummy and the warmth it provides, often soothes babies — not just during colic episodes.
Gently Massage the Tummy
Place your baby comfortably. Lying on a changing table, your bed, or a thick mat, they face you. Using the flat of your hand, gently massage their little belly in a clockwise circle.
Be patient. The warmth of your skin and the circular motion — which follows the biological direction of digestion — may help. The effect is also similar if you cross your baby's legs and gently raise them towards the tummy, again moving in circular motions.
These massages have the benefit of promoting gas release and, thus, pain relief. For an even more pleasant touch, add a few drops of sweet almond oil.
Use the Warmth of a Heating Pad
This technique works well for a variety of pains and at all ages. We believe a heating pad is a must-have at home. Backaches, period pains, fatigue, and infant colic — it's effective for almost everything.
However, always choose a baby-specific heating pad and make sure it’s only lukewarm to avoid any risk of burns. For example, just fill a hot water bottle with warm water (not boiling water from a kettle). Always check the temperature (just like you would with a bottle) on your wrist or stomach, and only use a wrapped heating pad to make sure it does not come into direct contact with your baby's skin.
Try a Baby Wrap Cuddle
Slip your baby into a wrap carrier and try a skin-to-skin session to help calm them. While grandmothers used to swaddle, a cocooning cuddle session has now taken its place, with similar soothing effects.
Held against you, your baby hears your heartbeat, is gently rocked, and reassured. In most cases, they end up falling asleep for a much-needed break.
Watch the Feedings
One possible explanation for the onset of colic is the air swallowed during bottle feeding. Built up in too great a quantity in the stomach, it’s thought to cause bloating and pain.
To help avoid this, hold your baby a little more upright in your arms during feeds and use anti-colic bottle nipples. Elhée nipples, for example, are equipped with a suitable valve to reduce the amount of air swallowed and help with digestion.
Who to Turn to if Your Baby's Colic Persists?
If, despite your efforts and goodwill, the situation doesn't improve quickly, do not hesitate to seek help so you can find the best solution to relieve your baby.
The pediatrician is your first point of contact for any health problem concerning your baby, especially a newborn. Once all other potential causes of abdominal pain (such as illness, reflux, etc.) are ruled out, the doctor can diagnose colic and offer solutions. This might include changing your baby's formula or prescribing homeopathy. A video posted by "La Maison des Maternelles" in November 2020 also offers an excellent explanation from the point of view of a doctor specializing in infant health.
Maternal and Child Protection (PMI) is also a great resource, especially for reassuring and guiding you in learning the best ways to comfort your baby. Pediatric nurses, doctors, and midwives (among others) who work there will share their valuable experience from working with many babies.
Osteopath’s Extra Touch!
At Elhée, we have a particular love for everything gentle for babies. Rounded bottles, medical-grade silicone, organic cotton swaddles... So, when it comes to finding gentle solutions for some of the most heart-wrenching cries, we're all for it! Of course, each baby is different, as are the feelings of their parents.
So when, in January, we met Olivier Darmont, perinatal osteopath passionate about his job, we were delighted to learn that his specialty can help resolve many issues in infants, young children, and pregnant women. In fact, we talked about this together in a video I’m sharing here.
And yes, osteopathy can help relieve your baby’s intestinal pain by working on muscle tension and blockages in the body, particularly around the intestines and pelvis.
And since osteopathy is a natural, non-invasive field of medicine based on gentle manipulation techniques, there’s no risk in trying. Many parents have observed a marked improvement in their baby almost immediately, just days after the first session.
