When your baby has colic, the world seems like it’s upside down. She doesn’t get any sleep, or at least it seems that way. You’re pretty sure that you’re not getting any sleep. Your little one seems so unhappy all of the time, which breaks your heart. It’s enough to make a parent truly exasperated. Parents with a baby that has colic often don’t even know where to start.

One thing that makes the situation even more frustrating is that experts aren’t always sure what causes colic. Some believe that colic may be due to indigestion or problems with the digestive tract. Others believe colic can be caused by overstimulation, or by an immature nervous system. It may be that colic can have several possible causes.

Fortunately, there are some strategies you can try. Some babies with colic may respond well to one strategy, while other babies may respond better to another strategy. Really, it is a process of trial and error.

Here are some things you can try to help your baby cope with colic:

• Check his bottle. Make sure that his bottle doesn’t cause your baby to gulp air down with his formula. If your baby is swallowing a bunch of air with his formula during feedings, he’s more likely to have tummy troubles.  You’ll also want to make that the hole in the nipple isn’t too small, which leads to gulping, or too big, which leads to him getting too much formula.
• Feed your baby upright. You might consider holding your baby up during feedings, which can help the formula or the breast milk to make a smoother journey to the tummy. When she’s all bunched up or hunched over, she’s likely to get air trapped in with her food.
• Burp your baby often. Frequently burping your baby helps to get all of those pesky air bubbles out of his tummy. Don’t wait to burp him until he’s done eating. Instead, burp him every few minutes.
• Watch your own diet. Your baby might be sensitive to something contained in your breast milk. Leave off dairy products for a while, in case your baby is sensitive to cow’s milk.

Start with these strategies, and see how they work out, and search the site for more strategies for coping with colic.

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