To know how to settle a colicky crying baby, one must first understand that there is a real reason for the baby crying. According to the American Heritage Dictionary Online colic is: Severe abdominal pain caused by spasm, obstruction, or distention of any of the hollow viscera, such as the intestines; or a condition of unknown cause seen in infants less than three months old, marked by periods of inconsolable crying lasting for hours at a time for at least three weeks.
It’s the second type of colic that can be a trial for parents of newborns. There is nothing more frustrating than to have your baby crying continually. Not only does your baby’s distress tear at your heart, but it can be mentally and physically draining.
We asked a group of parents who had experienced a colicky crying baby. Here, sometimes in their own words, they share the various methods of settling a crying baby.
Remain Calm
“One of the most important things and often the most difficult is for the parent or caregiver to try to stay calm, as the baby can feed off of the tension or negative vibes from the parent. If it gets to be too much, see if you can take a break (even a few minutes can help you refocus).”
White Noise
Many parents have found that soft background sound seemed to have the most effect; not only does it soothe the baby, but it also helps calm the parents. Often soft soothing music combined with the movement of a rocker or baby swing worked perfectly to settle a colicky crying baby.
Some parents discovered that running the vacuum cleaner was the perfect noise to quiet their crying baby. Another woman discovered that if she would place her baby in a baby seat and then set it on top of the clothes dryer. Then keeping the heat off, she would turn on the dryer. The combination of sound and vibration worked every time.
Keep Moving
“Babies can detect up/down, left/right and forward/back and are comforted when some combination of two of these movements. Rocking the baby in your arms while cradling him/her and going up and down on your toes will activate all three. This seems to soothe them, but be prepared to be doing this for a long time!”
Another mother found that it helps to sit on one of those exercise balls and gently bounce up and down, especially when the baby is naked and has skin-to-skin contact with you. Other parents swear by the rocking chair, a drive in a car, the baby swing or being pushed in the stroller.
Holding or Swaddling
Swaddling is done by wrapping a small blanket firmly, but not too tightly, around the body, this seems to comfort the baby. Another type of swaddling is accomplished by holding the baby close against your chest.
Massage/Warmth on the Tummy
Gently massaging the baby’s belly with a little almond oil in a clockwise motion has proven to sooth the baby. It also serves to relax the overstressed parents as well.
As one parent reported, “I have found from dealing with a colicky crying baby, that warmth on the tummy works wonders. I have done the warm rice pillows and a swing at the same time. He slept so wonderfully. It lasted until the swing stopped anyway.”
Peppermint
One parent suggested: “Give them peppermint water. Put one peppermint candy in a baby bottle filled with water. Then let the baby drink it. This works very well.”
Of course, before trying any of the suggestions above, one would want to make sure that the baby’s basic needs of a dry diaper and a full tummy have been taken care of. If those don’t settle a colicky crying baby, then try one, or all, of the suggestions above. Just remember you must be calm first. If it’s been going on too long, get someone to watch the baby and get away for an hour or two. Not only will the break help you, but it will help the baby to have a relaxed parent.
C.L. Hendricks is a "jill-of-all-trades" and an expert in some. She writes on a variety of subjects for several websites, including InvitingSmiles and Survival Homestead, to name a few.
