If your baby cries for hours at a time and seems to be completely inconsolable, you will probably have plenty of people tell you that it’s nothing to worry about: your baby just has colic. And chances are, they’re right. The overwhelming majority of the time, when a baby cries for no apparent reason for long periods, especially if the crying has a predictable pattern (such as starting around the same time every night), colic is almost always the diagnosis.

Almost always, but not always. There are other things which can make your baby cry for long periods of time, and it’s always better to be safe than sorry. It won’t hurt your baby in the least to spend some time having a doctor rule out other possibilities, but what if you assume your baby “just has colic” and it turns out to be something more serious?

There are several things which are often mistaken for colic. Among them are neurological disorders, seizures, and infant diabetes. Obviously, each of these is serious enough that you will want to have a doctor rule them out as a possibility.

You should especially look for the following symptoms while your baby is fussy. If he displays any of these symptoms, get him in to see a doctor right away:

• Jack Knifing. If baby is bending violently or suddenly at the middle, it could be signs of seizure or other neurological distress.
• Turning blue. This could be because of several conditions, including seizures.
• Rolling his eyes into the back of his head. This is also a sign of neurological issues.
• Leg Cramps. Leg cramps are often a sign of diabetes in infants.

Make sure that you take note of anything that you think might be unusual in your baby’s behavior. Consider making a recording of your baby so the doctor can see what it is you’re concerned about. Babies with colic or more serious conditions which cause them to cry for hours at a time seem to happy up at the doctor’s office, making it difficult to show the doctor what’s wrong.

Above all, trust your instincts. You know your baby better than anyone, and if you think something is wrong, take your baby in to be seen. It’s always better to be safe than to take your chances with your baby’s health.

If your baby has colic, you’ll find that just about everyone has some advice to offer you. Some of that advice is good, and helpful. Other advice is based on myth and legend, and might even do more harm than good.

Weeding through all of the information (and misinformation) can be a challenge. It’s hard to know what will work and what won’t.

Further complicating matters is the fact that there’s not one proven, solid cure for colic that works for every colicky baby. If there were, someone would bottle it and get $1,000 a piece for it.

There are some common colic treatments, however, that have worked for some babies in the past. Here are five of the most common effective colic treatments around today:

1. Gripe water. Gripe water is, essentially, a herbal solution that will help your baby calm down and relax. Europeans have been using gripe water for centuries. Some gripe water contains different ingredients from the next one on the shelf, too. If one kind doesn’t work for your baby, it doesn’t mean that another type won’t work.
2. Infant massage. Sometimes, infant massage techniques may help your baby relax and stop crying, too. There are a number of infant massage techniques you can use. For the most part, you’re going to massage your baby using circular motions in a soft fashion, and do so from head to toe.
3. Infant chiropractic care. Some chiropractors are specifically trained to help infants, and for certain colicky babies it can be a real help.
4. Change your diet. If you’re breastfeeding, it could be that some of the things in your diet are disturbing your baby’s tummy, leading to colic. You can certainly try to identify what food or foods it might be through trial and error. Some of the most common foods to blame include dairy, eggs, wheat, as well as very spicy foods.
5. Change formula. If you’re not breastfeeding, you might be able to help with colic by changing formula. Sometimes, a relatively mild dietary change is all that it takes.

Gripe water is a type of a nutritional supplement that is sometimes given to infants for a variety of reasons. Gripe water is often used for babies that have colic, for example. Gripe water is also used frequently to help with gas. There is even a way that gripe water may be able to help a baby with teething.

To understand how gripe water can help with teething, it is important to understand a little bit about gripe water and what exactly it is that gripe water does. Generally speaking, gripe water will contain certain ingredients that are known to help with problems in the digestive system. As an example, one of the most common ingredients in gripe water is Fennel. For over a century, fennel has been used to treat upset stomach, gas, and even hiccups. Ginger is another common ingredient in gripe water. Ginger has been shown, over and over again, to be able to relieve nausea. In fact, many moms have used ginger while they were pregnant in order to help deal with morning sickness. Sodium bicarbonate is a common ingredient in gripe water, as well. Sodium bicarbonate is often used to decrease the acidity of the stomach, and to assist with gas. Finally, many types of gripe water will also contain fructose, which will give the gripe water a relatively pleasant taste for your baby.

What does all of that have to do with teething? When a baby is teething, they are likely to be more fussy, which affects their breathing patterns and causes them to take in more air than they usually would. This, in turn, leads to gas. Gripe water can help relieve this gas, which in turn helps to relax your teething baby. So, while gripe water doesn’t necessarily help with the pain of teething per se, it does have the ability to help with the gas that so often accompanies teething. When used along with other products that can help your baby’s sore mouth, gripe water can help your baby to relax and to get through the teething process in a much more comfortable way.