Parents Survival Guide - Dealing With a Baby with Colic

March 04, 2010 | Babies | 1 comment

tags: baby, parenting, colic

The first thing to understand that colic does not last forever.  It's a relatively short time span but is difficult to deal with.  Here are some hopefully helpful tips on getting through this:

 

  1. Try to relax - easy to say hard to do - My wife and I were idiots as we would both be in the room taking turns dealing with the swaying and making shhhhh sounds... If you have the chance take a few minutes to yourself - take a shower, a bath, a run, anything that gives you a chance to unwind and give yourself a bit of normalcy.

  2. Run the Vacuum or play static on the radio - this may sound crazy but it worked for us but after a while we needed a new vacuum.  So I made a 45 minute recording of our new vacuum running and would play it on a loop during the day and at night and even in the car.  There was something about the sound that helped sooth our boys.  I bought a Kenmore vacuum that when in it's upright position does not spin the brush - so uses less electricity and less wear on the carpet. 

  3. Swaddling blankets - we tried the standard blankets that we got from the hospital, but then found that actual swaddling blankets with Velcro were infinitely easier to use and hold our son in position.  My wife found the Miracle Blanket and it was a great purchase. 

  4. Sleep in shifts - yes it wasn't fun but my wife would go to bed at 7:30 pm and sleep for 4 hours then it was my turn to sleep for a few.  I always thought it was easier to stay up later then sleep for an hour or two and have to get up for a while - so I think I got the better end of the deal.  

  5. Use a swing for sleep - it turns out for our boys that part of the reason for the fussiness at night was reflux - so sleeping in a somewhat upright position seemed to help a bit

  6. Read this bookHealthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Weissbluth

Just know that you will get through this and every 90 days some challenges a removed and replaced with new ones...

1 Comment

 
posted on November 30, 2010 at 10:42AM
 

I completely agree. We used an old vaccuum cleaner that no longer worked except for the motor, which is the only part you need. Stay calm, ask for help & leave the room (after putting baby safely in crib) and walk away into another room to destress if you need it. The baby will be ok if youleave the room for five minutes.

Colic has nothing to do with your parenting skills & you haven't done anything wrong. It is just a natural thing that occurs in some babies.

Remember to never, ever shake the baby! If you feel yourself getting aggravated or frustrated with baby, this is normal too. Just be sure you leave the room for a break or ask for help. Good luck. It will be over before you know it.