Best Baby Colic Remedies

Trying to pacify a baby that’s crying its heart out in the middle of the night is one of the most difficult tasks for every parent. You’re exhausted, you need some sleep and you worry that your little one is experiencing intense discomfort. Yes, this is what baby colic pain will cause numerous times. Finding an effective remedy is going to be essential for your little one’s happiness.

Medics still don’t know an awful lot about baby colic, which is why an effective remedy for the problem is yet to be discovered. Many parents, however, have discovered a viable solution through trial and error.

Looking for effective baby colic remedies? The following article will acquaint you with some tested options that deliver excellent results in the vast majority of colic cases.

Tummy Time

For many babies, a change in position can provide significant relief from colic. Let your little one have its tummy time. Chances are that the pain and discomfort will subside.

You can put the baby on its tummy across your lap. This is great, since you get to rub the little one’s back, providing additional comfort. In addition, a gentle back massage can make it easier for the baby to pass gas.

Tummy time is acceptable solely under parental supervision. You should never try the technique while the baby is asleep.

Hold Your Baby Upright

Keeping the baby in an upright position is another option that could provide relief from colic pain.

Pause while you’re feeding the child and put it in the upright position to encourage burping. If possible, try to give your baby several smaller meals rather than a large one. A few studies suggest that a bigger number of smaller meals throughout the day can reduce the risk of colic significantly.

Change Your Diet

If you are breastfeeding your child, you should consider a change in diet. The foods that you consume affect the quality of the milk and could play a role in the baby’s tummy problems.

Colicky symptoms may be caused by foods that the baby is sensitive to. If you have a family history of allergy, you’ll need to eliminate some of the most common allergens from your meal plan. Dairy products, nuts, soy, strawberries and tomatoes are the frequent culprits. Try eliminating those from your diet to figure out whether the intensity of the symptoms in your baby is going to decrease.

Buy an Anti-Colic Bottle

Are you using a bottle to feed your baby? If so, you may want to consider the purchase of the specialized anti-colic variety of products.

Anti-colic bottles have an internal vent. This vent eliminates the air bubbles that form inside the formula. As a result, the baby will burp less frequently and the colic symptoms may also decrease.

There are different brands of anti-colic bottles on the market. Do a bit of research and read reviews written by other moms to identify the products that are efficient and could produce an actual reduction in tummy discomfort.

Give Your Little One a Warm Bath

A warm bath has long been used as an excellent possibility for reducing the symptoms of digestive discomfort. Today, it still happens to be one of the most popular baby colic remedies.

There are special tummy tubs for newborns. These keep the babies in an optimal position that stimulates burping. In addition, the tub is designed in a way that keeps the baby’s skin covered with warm water at all times.

Finding the best baby colic remedies will require time and patience on your behalf. The option that works for one child may not be as efficient for your baby. Experiment with a few techniques and products. Sooner or later, you’ll discover the approach that will guarantee peaceful nights and quality sleep for all of the family members.

When to Apply Torticollis Infant Physical Therapy

Torticollis is a Latin term that means a twisted neck. Having uncomfortable neck can lead to a torticollis neck. Infants can also suffer from tortiicollis meaning that they may need torticollis infant physical therapy to rectify the condition.

Normally it is quite upsetting to see infants with a tilted head or having difficulties in turning their head around.  Even though, babies having this problem will not experience pain, the condition can easily be managed if proper positioning is done.

Causes of the condition

Newborn born babies can experience the problem  but doctor believe that it can be caused by cramping of the fetus in the uterus or could be caused by incorrect position of the baby especially when the baby’s buttocks face the birth canal.  Similarly, the use of forceps or vacuum devices during birth can easily lead to the development of torticollis . Doctors believe that poor handling and use of the devices could be the main cause.

During birth,  torticollis  can be caused  when the affected muscle rotates  to the opposite side. If it is not treated or attended to early enough, it can lead to more complications.  Torticollis infant physical therapy can be used to treat this condition and may include strengthening and stretching the child’s neck and shoulders. A competent therapist may stretch the neck and the shoulder muscle as well as perform a number of activities including proper positioning to correct the posture and improve the head control. The doctor may also prescribe exercises meant to improve motor development of a child. In some cases, the doctor may recommend the use of a helmet to reshape the head.

Torticollis infant physical therapy can be performed at home especially if it is discovered early. The doctor can help and teach you on how to use exercises to loosen the tight SCM and strengthen the neck muscles that are underused. The exercises can help to strengthen the muscles by applying a more intensive treatment. If the baby has signs of unstable hip, the doctor may recommend for ultrasound alongside the therapy. Fortunately, torticollis may not be related to other medical conditions thus it can be managed by torticollis infant physical therapy.

If you are applying the therapy at home, it is recommended that you perform a number of stretches but the activities should be performed several times in a day to help the child benefit from the therapy. After the torticollis infant physical therapy has been performed, it is important that you continue with some limited exercises to ensure complete healing. The exercises are meant to help to loosen tense neck muscles. This must be carefully done to ensure that the child does not get hurt.

Precautions

When you are putting the baby to sleep, it is recommended that you position them to sleep while facing the wall because when they wake up, the first thing they do is to look for where the light is coming from and thus will turn themselves away from the wall.

Strategies to Incorporate In Torticollis Infant Physical Therapy

When carrying the baby, ensure that the infants left ear rests against the left forearm. The baby’s body must also be supported by placing your hand in between the legs.
When feeding the child, place the bottle in such a way that they face in the opposite direction of their preferred side.

Note that stretching exercises used to treat torticollis will work well if they are started when the baby is 3 to 6 months old. However, if the stretching does not improve the baby’s condition it is recommended that you see a doctor to determine if it is necessary for the child to undergo muscle release surgery.

Top Tips for Baby Colic Relief

Colic is a condition that affects most babies, and it can be difficult to cope with, but it is something that will get better on its own after a few months. There are not a lot of options when it comes to baby colic relief. The best that you can really do is comfort your baby and try to relieve the symptoms until the colic resolves itself.

Different children respond to different baby colic relief methods. You may need to experiment with a few different treatments until you figure out what your baby responds best to. Changing the way that you feed your baby might help to alleviate problems too.

Treating Colic

Try holding your baby close to you in a sling while they are crying. If they do not like being in the sling, try other positions such as on your shoulder, lying tummy-down resting on your forearm, or simply being cradled in your arms.

When you are feeding your baby, keep them sitting upright. This will stop them from swallowing a lot of air, which can make colic worse. Another option is to try not to drink a lot of tea, coffee or other drinks that are high in caffeine if you are breastfeeding. Caffeine can make colic worse, as can alcohol and some spicy foods.

If you are bottle feeding, consider changing from a teat with a small hole to one with a “fast flow” hole. These let the formula or milk flow more quickly, which can stop your child from swallowing excess air.

Even with those precautions, there is the risk that your child will end up suffering from colic. You can get rid of some of the excess air by burping your baby after they have finished feeding. To burp a child, sit them upright, or hold them so that they are resting on your shoulder with their head and neck supported. Rub their tubby and their back, gently, until they burp. They may bring up a little bit of milk when you burp them, but this is nothing to worry about.

Some babies struggle with over-stimulation, and this can make them cry. Let your child rest in a dark room if they are upset, and don’t move them unless you are confident that the reason they are crying is because they are to hot/cold, feeling hungry, or need to have their nappy changed.

You Need Rest Too

Colic can be exhausting not just for the baby but for the parents too. If you feel like you cannot cope because your baby is crying all the time, take a break. Check that the baby is not hungry, cold, or in need of a nappy change, put them down safely in their cot, and take a break for a while. Your baby may calm down of their own accord.

If you are tired after taking care of your child for a long time, ask a friend or family member to look after the baby for an hour or so while you get out of the house for some adult company. You could also consider joining a support group so that you can air your frustrations with people who are going through the same things and find new ideas for baby colic relief.

Colic will get better of its own accord, so there is not usually any need to go to the doctor to get help. However, if you think that your baby has health problems beyond those typically associated with colic then you should talk to your doctor to make sure that there is not something more serious going on.