One of the funniest things about colic is that everyone has a remedy and I mean everyone. My sons colic was so severe that I honestly tried almost everything people suggested. I wanted to make a list of things we tried and things that people have suggested and give a little insight to what worked best for us.
In no particular order these are some of the things we have tried to combat colic:
- Gripe water- for us this was a joke! Didn't even phase our baby.
- Mylicon drops- also a joke.
- Boppy Pillow- DC couldn't sleep without it! It also helps with his reflux.
- Similac Alimentum- It helped with his reflux.
- Enfamil Nutramigen- Don't know if it was the formula or if his colic timed out but he seemed better after we tried this.
- Johnny Jump Up- DC likes to be held straight up and so we tried to put him in the Johnny, but he's too small and it was a no go.
- Playtex VentAire Bottles- We like them but they have like 500 parts and so cleaning is hard, also I haven't noticed a difference between these fancy ones and the cheap ones the hospital gave me.
- Avent Bottles- DC does okay with them, but like I said, there isn't really a difference.
- Sleep in the car seat- He likes it, but he needs to be happy when you put him in there or you have to go on a drive to make it work.
- Hold him- That sadly gets old. You can only them so much before you go nuts because you a million things to do.
- Leg exercises- These include bicycling his legs, putting both legs up to his chest and then back down, etc. These help get gas out, he hates them though.
- Pacifier- I want to punch people when they suggest this one, like I haven't tried it. Isn't that the first thing you go for when they are screaming!
- Beer- Ummm...Not going to try that one.
- Mixing the formula in a different bottle to get the bubbles out- Such a pain and I don't think it makes a difference, so why make extra dishes for yourself?
- The Swing- We went and bought this big mamma jamma and it only works for colic if he is already happy, putting him in the swing will not make him happy.
- Bouncy/Vibrating Chair- Again, nothing will make him happy and so it only works if he is already in a good mood.
- Old fashioned hot water bottle on his tummy- This was actually something that would bring him some relief, it never lasted very long, but it would help him stop crying.
- Hold him across your knees- He liked it ok and it helped get the bubbles out, but yet again you are still holding him and I think when your baby has colic, all you need is some time when you can put them down and get somethings done. How do you wash bottles? Go potty? etc?
- Hold him over your shoulder- DC also liked this hold, but we always felt like we were going to drop him, to make if affective we had to hold him so far over it was kinda scary.
- Burp him more frequently
- Take a 15 minute break- This is easier said than done when your kid is screaming his head off. It made me sad to just leave him and he's also cry so hard he'd throw up and that worried me.
- Goats Milk- I had many people swear by this, but our Doc said it was a no go for DC.
- Chiropractic Care- We took him to the only man I'd trust with my back and he did an organ massage on DC. It helped get the gas out and made a difference for the day, but I am unsure of the overall effectiveness. But to be honest I tried so many things for colic there is no tellin' what really worked, if anything...
- Music
- Background noise
- Bouncing him on an exercise ball- He likes it but yet again, I can't do that for 4 hours straight every night, I need to be able to put him down.
- Rocking him in the rocking chair.
- Pacing the floor
- Football hold
- Essential oils- I held out a lot of hope for these but DC freaked out, he hated them to say the least. I think they did help a little bit but it upset him too much to massage the oils in.
- Baby carrier- The baby carrier was my saving grace when DC and I flew. I couldn't have gotten through the airport without that thing. He didn't cry a bit in it. The only trouble with those is getting them on! And also when you have a kid in front of you like that it makes it hard to do anything.
- Sling Carrier- I don't know what it is about it but DC freaks out in them, nope not happening. (And I wish that was me, but instead I put the model.)
- Sweet Basil Tea- Now at first when my neighbor brought this over I thought she was just another good intentioned individual with another crazy colic remedy. Well let me tell you, IT WORKS! Sweet basil tea works like a charm. Now I don't know if it cures colic, but what it does do is makes your baby sleepy. We only had to give DC an ounce a night and it put him right to sleep!
- Calling a friend, neighbor, family member, a teenager, anyone willing to come and hold him!- This was what saved me, kind people willing to hold a crying baby so that I could get things done. The people who came and held DC or picked him up and took him home for a few hours will never know how much that meant to me!
- Catnip- We didn't try this one, sounded too weird to me.
- Acid Reflux Medicine- Makes a difference to the baby I'm sure, but in the eye of the colic storm, we didn't see it helping much. Now that the colic is about over it makes a huge difference in DC's happiness, but before I didn't think it did much.
- Baby Whisperer book
- Baby Wise book
- Healthy Habits, Happy Baby book
- Happiest Baby on the Block book
- About 15 other baby books
- A warm bath- DC likes his baths and it would calm him while he was in it but the second you took him out, woa baby, hold onto your hat!
- Swaddling him- It works great to settle down a colicky baby.
- Aden and Anais Swaddling blankets- These are the best blankets hands down.
- Anise water
- Calming lotion- (It doesn't really calm...)
- Baby in car seat on top of the dryer
- Have him in a routine- that is soooo much easier said than done when you have a baby who cries 90% of the day...
- Breast Milk- Now my son is adopted and so that wasn't going to work for us. :)
- Soy formula
- The 5 S's
- Coke in his bottle- Didn't dare do this one either.
- Crushed garlic with olive oil rubbed on his belly
- Colic Calm
- Kava root- (thats for you, not the baby)
This list could go on and on and on. We tried most of the things listed and probably more that I am forgetting. We also were given even more advice and suggestions. Bottom line for us and our baby was that there were things that took the edge off, but nothing will "cure" colic, only time. The best advice someone gave me was to throw out any advice we got and just figure out what was best for our baby. In the end, looking back on this, if I had to do it again (heaven help me) I would use, reflux medicine, swaddle him, sweet basil tea, and a good friend for relief.
This was honestly the hardest thing I have ever had to endure, from what people tell me my son had a pretty severe case, but I can say I feel like Wonder Woman for surviving.
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