colic? how do I stop the crying?

[Avaren]

my baby is only 3 weeks and has never had a problem with crying and has been very easy going since he was born. the last week or so though he cry's every day twice a day for about two hours on and off. he will cry for about ten minuets straight and then stop for about five and this will go on and on. I'm pretty sure its colic since it happens at the same two times a day (more or less) every day.

What i want to know does any one have an tricks for soothing a colicky baby before he exhausts himself to sleep for three hours?

the reason I'm concerned is that he doesn't really eat (he gets a few swallows in) when he does this. that's two times a day he goes for at least five hours with out eating. I'm afraid if this continues he will start to lose weight. I suppose i could wake him up about an hour after to eat but he doesn't like to eat when he is tired ether ( he falls asleep while eating ) and I'm afraid of the crying starting up again. please help! :praying:

[SnuggleBuggles]

I'd check with the ped about reflux and get that ruled out or in.

Also, try probiotics. I read a study about how it was good for colic when compared to things like gas drops. Probiotics will keep the good bacteria flourishing in the digestive system and can make baby happier. At the very least, they don't hurt. You can buy them at health food stores. Ask for help when there but there are baby specific versions.

eta- unless it is the middle of the night I wouldn't let him go more than 5 hours between feedings. Aim for 8-12 sessions/ day and usually no more than 4 hours during the day.

Also, have you tried wearing the baby? Sling or front pouch? That can really help.

Beth

[Avaren]

I keep try to find a sling. they are always out. I think i am going to order on online.

I've heard about probiotics perhaps it is time i try it.

thanks for the info!

[viba424]

My DD is 2 months old and we swear by Baby Bliss Gripe Water (Blue Box). All of her worst freak-outs have been helped by that stuff. It is a sweet liquid in an eye dropper. My baby likes the taste of it, even when she is screaming she stops to take it.

I also like it compared to other brands because the dose is big...therefore less concentrated than other brands like Little Tummys, which I think seems safer. It has come through for us during some pretty rough crying fits and we will never be without it now.

[Katigre]

Do you have The Happiest Baby On the Block by HArvey Karp? (Get the DVD - much faster and easier to get through than the book when you have a newborn. Our library has it, yours might too).

It is a LIFESAVER with colicky, fussy babies. Seriously one of the best parenting tools for the early days.

[becca_g]

Do you have The Happiest Baby On the Block by HArvey Karp? (Get the DVD - much faster and easier to get through than the book when you have a newborn. Our library has it, yours might too).

It is a LIFESAVER with colicky, fussy babies. Seriously one of the best parenting tools for the early days.

I would second (and third!) The Happiest Baby on the Block DVD!

DS went through an EXTREMELY fussy period of what was probably a few weeks (but seemed like a year) that started when he was less than a month old. The DVD offers 5 simple tips that really worked to calm DS ... and saved my sanity.

[TwinMama2B]

Happiest Baby on the Block worked wonders for one of our DDs, but not so much for the other who had reflux.

What DID work with both of them was holding them while sitting on one of those huge exercise balls, and bouncing. DH and I bounced so much on that ball, we darn near popped it! It was a sanity-saver! Not a bad core-strengthening workout either, post-babies. Good luck!!!

[latully]

I have the bouncy ball, too. But if your baby has reflux, be careful because it can cause the acid to come up. We had to stop the bouncing, and change to swaying.

I also recommend the DVD. We got a white noise machine at Target for the shushing and LOVE it.

[mamaju]

My baby is 8 weeks old now, and she is also extremely colicky, and also has acid reflux. She is on Prevacid now which has helped the crying somewhat (Zantac did not work), but she still has the colic symptoms mainly at night. She always had to be bounced and I could not put her down without her going nuts.

Harvey Karp's calming methods were not enough to reliably calm her (we probably were doing something wrong since everyone seems to love it).
What DID work most of the time was the sling, and turning on the vacuum or hair dryer worked almost 100% of the time.

Because of this noise response, I decided to invest in a white noise maker like the previous post suggests as well. I received it today, and it is AMAZING!! I purchased the Marpac SleepMate Sound Conditioner 980A. Tonight is the first night I am using it, and she went from screaming to a trance like state in under 10 seconds as soon as I got her close enough to the machine. I put the machine in her crib and she has been sleeping soundly for the past two hours - and this is the first time she has put herself to sleep too! I never participate in online forums, but I was so excited that I found a solution that works for my baby that I needed to spread the word to other desperate moms out there. I hope this helps!

[BabyBearsMom]

Do you have The Happiest Baby On the Block by HArvey Karp? (Get the DVD - much faster and easier to get through than the book when you have a newborn. Our library has it, yours might too).

It is a LIFESAVER with colicky, fussy babies. Seriously one of the best parenting tools for the early days.

:yeahthat:

[AngelaS]

My third was colicky and cried from 4 to 10 pm. every single day. We thought she had reflux and she was on Prevacid. It really didn't help. Then I stopped eating ALL dairy and suddenly had a perfectly happy baby on my hands!

It took about 3 days before I saw changes in her. I stopped ALL dairy--you cannot just cut back, you have to give it all up. It was hard at first, but SO worth it!

[Smillow]

Do you have The Happiest Baby On the Block by HArvey Karp? (Get the DVD - much faster and easier to get through than the book when you have a newborn. Our library has it, yours might too).

It is a LIFESAVER with colicky, fussy babies. Seriously one of the best parenting tools for the early days.

:yeahthat:
Wish I had watched it before DS was born!

Also watched the Baby Whisperer DVD but the only useful thing I got out of that (that I recall) was her burping method - worked like a charm!

I got both DVD's from my local library. There is a white noise track on the Happiest Baby that is great!