When your baby has colic, it can be frustrating on many levels. Certainly there is the anxiety, chaos, and frustration that the baby’s crying can have on you and on the rest of the household. But perhaps even more difficult than this is the fact that parents truly feel bad for their little ones when they cry. A parent will often feel powerless, as though nothing they do can help their baby with colic. While there is no cure for colic, there are fortunately some ways that you may be able to calm your baby with colic, or at least reduce the intensity or the frequency of your baby’s crying.

Part of the frustrating thing about trying to calm a baby with colic is that we really don’t know what causes colic for certain. Some experts theorize that colic may be related to gastrointestinal problems. In some cases, simply switching to a different brand of formula might help to calm your baby with colic. If your baby is lactose intolerant, or if you have any family history of lactose intolerance, you might consider switching to a soy-based baby formula to help to calm your baby with colic. For the woman who is breastfeeding, sometimes a change in diet such as avoiding especially acidic foods or cutting out milk products may help to calm her baby with colic.

In some cases, you may be able to calm your baby with colic just by carrying your baby for a while. Some babies with colic may find that going for a ride in the car seems to soothe them. Other babies with colic may respond well to a baby swing. Some babies with colic will respond to swaddling, or being wrapped snugly inside a blanket. As an added benefit, swaddling a newborn is also thought to reduce the risk of SIDS.

In some cases, a pacifier may help a baby with colic. It may be that infant massage, or a tummy or back rub will soothe the baby with colic. There are not any medications that are recommended to treat colic. There are, however, a variety of herbal oils and supplements that may help to calm your baby with colic. As always, you should discuss these with your health care provider before administering any of them to your baby with colic.

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