A colicky baby will begin his crying spells around the same
time each day, usually in the evening. The episodes are likely to come on
suddenly, with no apparent cause, and last for two to three hours. Your baby
may appear to be in pain, thrashing around, clenching his fists, and drawing
his legs up to his abdomen (all that squirming can make him hard to hold on
to). His cries won’t be low-pitched, intermittent, or weak sounding; instead,
they’ll often be constant, full-blown screams that leave your ears ringing, and
he’ll be virtually impossible to console.
How can I help my colicky baby?
Discovering what methods soothe your baby best is going to
be trial-and-error, and the technique that works like a charm one night may be
useless the next. A few tricks to put up your sleeve:
Cuddle your baby. Picking your baby up when he cries isn’t going to
spoil him at this age; you’re just responding to his needs. Some babies find
comfort in being tightly swaddled and held close to your body. But if your baby
doesn’t seem to want to be held, don’t take it personally!
Sing to your baby. So what if you’re no Pavarotti? Your baby knows
the sound of your voice, and the rhythmic ups and downs of your singing may be
just what she needs to hear. Singing a soft, soothing lullaby just might help –
even if the baby doesn’t respond to it, it may help keep you calm.
Offer water. You can offer plain water (purified, not tap) or
electrolyte water such as Pedialyte.
Offer food. Sometimes a crying baby is just a hungry baby. It’s
highly unlikely that you can over-feed your baby because infants will stop
eating when they’re full (or just spit up the portion that they don’t need), so
offer a bottle or breast.
Offer a pacifier. If she doesn’t want to eat, but seems to want
something in her mouth, try a pacifier. Babies use sucking as a self-soothing
mechanism.