For any parent with a baby suffering from colic you know how upsetting it is for your baby to be crying in such discomfort, and feeling so helpless that you can’t do anything for them to ease their pain. It’s no surprise that when it’s gone on for so long, parents become desperate, seeking any kind of remedy from old wives’ tales to online forum recommendations to cope with a colicky baby. Here are some of the methods we’ve heard and read about when it comes to coping with colic.
What is colic?
Colic is a condition that can affect one in five babies, and is a sharp pain in the abdomen caused by wind or an obstruction in the intestines. When babies suffer from this is can result in hours of crying, and your baby might also clench their fists, arch their back while crying or try and bring their knees to their tummy.
Long term effects
When a baby is afflicted with colic, periods of crying can go on for hours, which is upsetting and distressing to both parent and baby. The crying releases stress hormones and adrenaline into the baby’s system which isn’t good for them long term, so naturally you’ll want to settle your baby as quickly as possible. It can also be extremely draining for parents – your baby can cry continually, making it impossible for you to rest which is dangerous too.
Old wives' tales for treating colic
Well-meaning advice from relatives, friends and other mums ranges in success and practicality, but here’s some of the advice for treating colic that we know of:
- Feeding your baby upright to minimise how much air they swallow
- Holding your baby over your shoulder
- Burping them just after a feed
- Taking them out in the car (something about the vibration of the car running can be soothing)
- If you’re breast feeding, cutting out known allergens in your diet like dairy, wheat, caffeine and spicy foods
- Skin to skin contact and swaddling
- Rocking them gently – this gentle movement is known to be very soothing for babies
New ideas for coping with colic
A lot of the advice above has been proven to work, but let’s face it, it isn’t always practical to apply if you’re a busy mum of more than one, or if you have things to do around the house. That’s why the Babocush is such an innovative design – it incorporates the best advice from all these old wives’ tales into a new product, that many parents have reviewed and shared how it worked miracles for their colicky baby. So how does it do this exactly?
- The Babocush holds your baby in the ideal way that mimics the ‘over the shoulder’ position.
- They are safely and securely swaddled in the Babocush with 5 soft fabric straps.
- There is a vibration setting which you can turn on and off and mimics your heartbeat (or the car engine running), and which babies all find very soothing.
- Securing your Babocush on top of a rocker combines the best of both worlds. The gentle rocking motion provides soothing movement, just like if you were gently rocking your baby back and forth in your arms, which can help settle and relax your baby while they rest on their tummy.
Why not take a look at our video and see the Babocush in action? If you have any questions about how the Babocush could help your colicky baby, just ask – we’ve got first-hand experience and know how reassuring it can be to talk to parents who have gone through the same problems.
