A soft tummy gets rid of colic in the baby. Colic in newborns, treatment at home

What is the treatment for colic in newborns at home? How to deal with the disease in order to alleviate the plight of the baby and relieve suffering? First of all, you need to know the nature of this disease in order to successfully combat the causes.

Colic in the abdomen of a baby appears due to spasm of the intestinal muscles. During the development of the newborn's digestive system, inconsistency in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract may occur. For example, swallowing air during breastfeeding and bottle feeding can negatively affect the intestines: gases are formed. Indigestion and overfeeding can cause stool upset.

What to give to a baby with gas, how to save him from suffering?

What to do in case of pain and gas formation in a newborn? The list of acceptable assistance measures includes:

  1. tummy massage;
  2. warm compress;
  3. body contact;
  4. gymnastic exercises;
  5. gas outlet tube;
  6. dill water.

Important! These measures will help ease the well-being of the newborn baby. But it is important to remember that these are supportive measures, not treatment.

Tummy massage and compress

Place the newborn baby on his back, free his tummy from the diaper and vest. With a warm palm, begin to smoothly stroke the body around the navel, making movements in the direction of the sun (clockwise). It is important not to press on the tummy, but simply stroke it. The mother's warm hand and her calm state (without panic) will help the baby get rid of pain, at least for a while.

The thermal effect relaxes the muscles, which means it relieves spasmodic tension. How to make a compress? To do this, iron the flannel diaper with an iron until hot and apply it to the newborn’s tummy. The diaper must be folded into four. Dr. Komarovsky recommends relaxing warm baths with healing herbal infusions.

Gymnastics and body contact

Be careful with gymnastic exercises. It is advisable to do preventive exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles rather than torment the baby’s body during pain. He has no time for gymnastics!

The set of preventive exercises at home includes:

  • placing the baby on the tummy;
  • exercise "bicycle" with legs.

When gases accumulate and disturb the baby, it is important to let him feel his mother’s warmth. Bare your belly and place your baby on it. The baby should also lie on his stomach. This position promotes the passage of gas and will help ease the baby’s well-being. The warmth of the mother and the beat of her heart will calm the baby, because he is used to hearing such a melody in his intrauterine existence.

Dill and gas pipe

These measures help to remove gases and provide non-drug treatment. Dill seeds can be purchased at the market, washed and dried before brewing. But it is better to give ready-made tea with dill or fennel, which is sold in specialized pharmacies. Seeds purchased at a market or gardening store may be sprayed with chemicals.

Water is given before feeding to prevent the accumulation of gases.

To help the baby cope with the disease, you need to divert the gas. However, remember that you can use a tube to remove gases only once every 8-9 days.

How to use a gas outlet tube? This should be done according to the following instructions:

  1. sterilize the tube for 12-15 minutes and cool;
  2. cover the changing table with a moisture-absorbing diaper;
  3. lay the baby on her back and press her knees to her tummy;
  4. lubricate the tip of the tube and the baby’s bottom with butter;
  5. carefully insert the tube into the baby’s anus no more than 1.4-2 centimeters;
  6. after inserting the tube, you need to massage your tummy with a warm hand;
  7. slowly turn the tube without pulling it out of the baby’s butt;
  8. If the gases have passed, slowly remove the tube.

Important! Do not insert the tube into the baby's anus if you feel strong resistance. You will injure your intestines.

Prevention of gas formation

If nothing is done, gas formation will cause unbearable pain. Let's consider preventive measures that can prevent the accumulation of gases in the baby's intestines.

  1. Don’t be lazy to place your baby on his tummy before each feeding.
  2. After feeding, wait for the burp, holding the baby like a soldier.
  3. It is necessary to give the baby dill water.
  4. While breastfeeding, make sure that your baby grasps the areola and nipple with his mouth.
  5. Massage your tummy daily.

If gas does form, try pressing your baby’s tummy to your chest. Sometimes it's better than nothing.

Mom's diet

The baby will not need treatment for colic if the mother controls her diet and gives the baby only high-quality breast milk. Which diet should you choose?

1. First, exclude everything from the menu except dairy-free cereals with vegetable oil and kefir/yogurt. You can add boiled meat and fish dishes with tea made from dill seeds and herbs to your diet. Keep this diet for three days.

2. After this, start adding one product per day, carefully observing the baby and his reaction. Start with cottage cheese or cottage cheese in minimal quantities (up to 20 grams). Eat new foods in the morning: if colic occurs, it will definitely end by night, and you will get enough sleep.

3. The next day, eat one more product in addition to porridge and kefir. This way you can know exactly what foods your baby reacts to. They should be removed from the menu completely.

Important! Include only one product on the menu, not two or three! Otherwise, you won’t be able to determine what your baby is reacting to.

4. Eliminate any hysterics and quarrels in the house. It has been proven that the muscular muscles of the baby respond to such an atmosphere in the house with spasms. The baby is used to the silence and affection inside his mother’s belly, don’t stress him out!

5. Eliminate tobacco.

List of the most undesirable foods for infants:

  • apple, grapes and juices from them;
  • raisins and dried apricots;
  • any fresh vegetables;
  • condensed milk;
  • confectionery and yeast bread;
  • fatty foods, including butter;
  • anything that contains caffeine;
  • onion and garlic.

Black long tea also contains caffeine, just like green tea. Replace tea with a decoction of meadow and garden herbs: chamomile, thyme, linden, mint and currant leaves. Drink decoctions with a spoonful of honey, not refined sugar.

In infancy, the baby cannot be capricious for the sake of whims or act “to spite” the mother. If he cries, then things are really bad. Know how to understand your baby, give more affection and warmth. Soon his digestive system will improve and the screams will stop.

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Intestinal colic is one of the most pressing problems in the first months of a baby’s life. Intestinal colic is the name given to abdominal pain associated with increased gas formation in the child’s intestines. This is due to the adaptation of the baby’s gastrointestinal tract to the new conditions of postnatal development. The child begins to show restlessness, which usually ends in uncontrollable, prolonged crying. The first colic in infants may appear 2 to 4 weeks after birth and usually disappears by 3 months. Colic occurs in completely healthy children who have a good appetite and normal development.

Tatyana Prokofieva (pediatrician, candidate of medical sciences, mother of three children), talks about intestinal colic:

Symptoms of colic

  • Unreasonable concern of the child;
  • The baby presses its legs towards the tummy, which indicates cutting, cramping pain in the stomach or intestines;
  • Screams shrilly for several hours, almost always in the late afternoon, although the child has had a good appetite throughout the day and is healthy;
  • Sometimes releases gases;
  • Pallor may appear;
  • The baby starts crying and fussing soon after feeding;
  • A sign of food intolerance is frequent green, mucous stools (or, conversely, constipation).

Causes

  • Incorrect infant feeding technique, when the baby swallows air along with the milk. ()
  • If the baby is bottle-fed, the bottle should be at an angle of up to 45° so that air accumulates at the bottom.
  • Overfeeding. Consuming large amounts of milk can cause gas in the stomach and regurgitation. In this case, it is better to feed the baby more often, but in small portions.
  • Inappropriate mixture (See).
  • Incorrect diet for a nursing mother.
  • Colic occurs more often in children if the nursing mother smokes.

ATTENTION If a nursing mother drinks during breastfeeding, then colic in infants can be completely avoided! Keep this in mind!

Foods that cause colic

It is better for a nursing mother who is breastfeeding to exclude from her diet:

  • Cabbage;
  • Dishes with added spicy seasonings;
  • Corn;
  • Cow's milk and some dairy products;
  • Tomatoes;
  • Nuts;
  • Products containing caffeine;

(See the article about nutrition and what a nursing woman can eat — )

If the occurrence of colic is associated with the listed products, then after eliminating them from the diet, the mother will experience colic. disappear within 1-2 days after their exclusion.

Help with colic

With colic, a newborn baby will be helped by the following methods that parents can do at home on their own without going to the doctor:

Note to moms!


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When will they pass?

Despite the anxiety and concern, parents must understand that colic and gassy are common in newborns, and to This will pass in 3 - 4 months , because By this time, the child’s gastrointestinal tract will be quite well developed.

How to help a newborn with colic? This question is asked by almost any young mother when faced with such a common but alarming phenomenon. Of course, any mother cannot calmly watch her beloved child suffer, and therefore is ready to do anything to calm him down. Most often, the problem is solved quite simply within a short time. However, if this phenomenon does not subside or often recurs, then the child should be shown to a pediatrician.

The essence of the problem

Abdominal colic in a newborn baby is a reaction of his intestines to food in the form of a pain syndrome. Most often, this phenomenon is a normal physiological process of adaptation of the infant’s gastrointestinal system to the realities of life. In young children, the digestive organs cannot yet function fully, which is facilitated by an imperfect enzyme system, lack of a balanced intestinal microflora, and low intestinal motor ability. The processes of digestion and absorption of even such easily digestible food as mother's milk are not fully formed.

These imperfections in the body of newborns lead to the fact that the process of fermentation and gas formation is actively underway in their intestines. It is this process that causes pain in the baby, which is commonly called intestinal colic. The first manifestations of colic usually occur in a baby 10-30 days after birth. By 3-4 months of age, such phenomena already occur much less frequently, or even disappear altogether.

The vast majority of cases of colic occur in completely healthy children with good appetite and normal development. Most often this is a natural reaction and will not harm the baby. At the same time, in order for him not to suffer even for a short time, it is necessary to solve the question of how to help a newborn at home, without resorting to the help of a doctor. Along with this, this phenomenon should be taken very seriously, because in rare cases, colic becomes a symptom of a pathological process, and in such cases treatment is necessary.

How to recognize the symptoms?

A small child cannot say that he is in pain. The task of parents is to find out about colic in the stomach by indirect manifestations and behavior of the baby. The following symptoms help identify intestinal colic:

  1. Prolonged and intense crying that does not stop with normal calming measures (rocking, caressing, etc.). This symptom is most pronounced in the first month of a child’s life.
  2. The phenomenon is most often observed in the evening.
  3. Nervous pressing of knees to tummy.
  4. Bloating and tension in the abdomen, it is tight to the touch.
  5. The baby strains and grunts, which may cause him to spit up.
  6. Redness of the face.
  7. Colic may be accompanied by constipation or, conversely, loose stools with greenish mucus.
  8. The most characteristic behavior: the baby arches his body, knocks his legs and arms, which indicates the presence of pain.

The child, as a rule, refuses to eat, but if he was persuaded to attach to the breast, then loud cries are heard during feeding. Colic, in itself, is accompanied by intestinal spasms, and feeding stimulates its contraction, which increases the pain towards the end of the process. Swallowing air while screaming leads to intense belching and sometimes vomiting.

There is a very simple method that, with a fairly high probability, can detect the presence of colic in a newborn. To do this, just take the child in your arms, hold him close, start talking in a soothing voice and caress him. It will not be possible to calm a colic child with this method, and on the contrary, it will intensify the crying.

What causes this phenomenon?

Before deciding how to help a child with colic, you need to try to understand the reasons that provoke it and try to eliminate them.

If you suspect pathological factors, you should immediately consult a doctor.

  1. The following reasons can cause an unpleasant anomaly:
  2. Violation of the rules for feeding an infant: incorrect posture, swallowing a large amount of air, distractions during feeding.
  3. Excessive amount of food, i.e. overfeeding.
  4. The emotional state of a nursing woman and her bad habits (smoking, alcohol);
  5. Incorrect placement of the bottle during artificial feeding. It should be located at an angle of no more than 45 degrees.

Poor quality formula or incorrect complementary feeding regimen.

What can you do at home?

When discovering that the baby is suffering, any woman strives to do everything possible to quickly help her newborn with colic. Of course, you can give your baby any medications only as prescribed by a pediatrician, but you can take some measures at home without going to the doctor. The question of how to calm a child can be solved using the following methods:

  1. A light tummy massage helps a lot, but not earlier than 14-17 minutes after feeding. The massage is performed by lightly moving your fingers clockwise. The effect of the massage can be increased if it is performed after placing a warm heating pad on the tummy for 5-6 minutes.
  2. Gymnastic exercises: press your legs with your knees to your tummy with force.
  3. After lifting from the breast, the baby should be placed in a vertical position for 12-16 minutes so that the air can freely escape.
  4. The baby should be placed on his tummy as often as possible. In this position, stroking your hands from the side above the pelvic bone towards the lower back helps.
  5. If colic is very intense, a gas tube can be used with great care.
  6. It is necessary to provide the most soothing conditions: carrying in the arms; laying the baby on top of you so that its bare tummy rests against the mother’s belly; motion sickness in arms or in a stroller; providing an unobtrusive monotonous, soothing sound (humming, light music, murmur of water, etc.).
  7. When colic attacks occur, it is recommended to feed infants expressed milk from a bottle with a nipple.

It should be remembered that infant colic is very often caused by the mother's diet.

If a nursing woman regularly drinks tea with the addition of cumin, lemon balm, anise, and fennel, then you can forget about childhood intestinal troubles.

Along with this, you should significantly limit the consumption of the following foods: pasta, fresh vegetables, bananas, apples, grapes, yogurt, kefir, yeast bread, muffins, legumes, garlic, eggs, ice cream.

Effective remedies

Sometimes intestinal colic occurs intensely and for a long time. In such cases, you should contact your pediatrician, who usually prescribes the following medications:

  • probiotics (Linex, Lactobacterin, Bifidumbacterin forte, Probifor, Bifiliz);
  • medications based on simethicone (Smecta, Bobotik, Espumisan, Sab Simplex);
  • sedatives that can be given to newborns (Anvifen, Phenibut, Pantogam);
  • medications to normalize intestinal microflora (Acilact, Biobakton, Probifor, Florin Forte, Bifikol);
  • agents that regulate gas formation (Milicon, Gaviscon);
  • enzyme-based medications (Creon, Lactazar).

Medications can quickly eliminate problems, but the risk of side effects, given the imperfections of the infant’s body, is quite high, which requires their use only after examination by a pediatrician. Traditional medicine has been recommending safe formulations for a long time. The following folk remedies are especially popular:

  1. Fennel drink in the form of tincture: 2 tbsp. plants in 0.5 liters of boiling water with infusion for 1-1.5 hours.
  2. Dill water: prepared from infusion (1 tablespoon of dill seeds per 200 ml of boiling water) - you can use ready-made pharmacy packaging.
  3. Anise decoction: 5 g of anise seeds are poured with water (200 ml) and cooked over low heat for 12-15 minutes.

Colic in babies, as a rule, is not fraught with great danger, but we must try to help the child get rid of the problem as quickly as possible. To do this, you can use simple tips or contact your pediatrician.

Every parent sooner or later faces the problem of intestinal colic in newborns. New mothers and fathers, as a rule, are faced with the question of how to alleviate the child’s suffering during this difficult period. You can borrow several practical ways to treat this disease from the material below.

Massage for colic

Mechanical external influence on the abdominal region of the baby’s body is useful in that it allows for more effective peristalsis. The wave-like contraction of the intestinal walls promotes the movement of its contents to the outlet. Massage for colic in newborns should be done with confident circular movements in a clockwise direction. At the end of the session, you need to bend the newborn’s legs at the knees and press them to the stomach. As a preventative measure, massage is recommended for a few minutes after each feeding.

Diet for colic in newborns

Today, the trend is that mothers are increasingly inclined to stop breastfeeding early and switch to artificial formula. When asked by parents how to deal with colic in newborns, young doctors often give strange answers. The recommendations of such would-be specialists often include the complete exclusion of breastfeeding (BF).

Another point of view on the problem “Colic in a newborn - what to do” deserves more confidence. So, in order to prevent severe bloating in babies, breastfeeding consultants advise mothers to reconsider their diet in the direction of reducing foods that provoke colic. As a rule, legumes, vegetables, fatty meats, and some fruits are excluded from the daily menu. It is important to say that the diet of a nursing mother with colic in a newborn should be balanced. The future health of her baby depends on the nutrition of a woman.

Colic medicine for newborns

Experienced experts do not recommend using anti-bloating medications. However, when answering the question of how to treat colic in a newborn, pediatricians note that sometimes it is even necessary to alleviate the baby’s condition with medications. Meanwhile, parents often decide to abandon chemical medications in favor of homeopathic treatment of colic. This method is a safer way to combat bloating in infants in the first month of life. You can find out how to get rid of colic in newborns with the help of medications below:

  1. Espumisan. A completely safe emulsion (Espumizan 40) or drops (Espumizan L) for colic. The required amount of the drug is taken with a special spoon or cap. Espumisan for colic is given 25 drops or one measuring spoon (depending on the dosage form) before or after each feeding.
  2. Simethicone. The medicine for newborns is available in the form of a suspension. A single dosage of Simethicone for colic is 10-15 drops. The product must be used before or after feeding.

Folk remedies for colic in a newborn

You can also rid your beloved baby of excess gas using home remedies. Mothers who have decided to independently treat their newborn should take into account that folk recipes for getting rid of colic must be checked for allergenicity. If the experience of generations in eliminating flatulence has not had the desired effect, you need to think about using medications. Below you can find information on how to cope with colic in newborns using traditional methods:

  1. Dill water. Many mothers are sure that this is the best remedy for colic. A teaspoon of the seeds of this plant is poured into a glass of boiling water, after which it simmers for 20 minutes in a water bath. Next, the drink is kept covered for 45 minutes, after which it is filtered and given to the child 1 tsp. three times a day.
  2. Fennel infusion. A teaspoon of the fruits of this plant must be poured with boiling water, after which the liquid should be left under the lid for half an hour. The strained, cooled product is given to the newborn a teaspoon several times a day.

How to help a colicky baby with sensory stimulation

This method of combating bloating in newborns helps create conditions for the release of excess gases. During sensory stimulation, the baby's muscle tissue contracts more intensely, which has a positive effect on intestinal motility. It is also important to say that many pediatricians are inclined to prefer free swaddling of children. In addition, when answering the question of how to help a baby with colic, experts urge parents to:

  • Before feeding, place the baby on his tummy;
  • feed the baby on demand;
  • give the newborn a massage.

How to deal with colic by removing gases

You can eliminate the symptoms of excess gas by warming up the baby's tummy. The procedure should be performed using a warm diaper or a salt heating pad. If this method of dealing with colic does not help, use a special gas outlet tube, which, in addition to its direct purpose, also helps to cope with constipation in babies. This simple device is very easy to use. How to help a newborn with colic using a gas tube will be described below:

  1. Lay your baby on his back and elevate his legs.
  2. Insert the rounded end of the tube, pre-lubricated with baby cream, into the anus 2 cm.
  3. Massage your newborn using circular movements.
  4. Place the other end of the tube in some container.

Video: what to do if a newborn has colic

Reviews

Marina, 20 years old

When I first encountered the problem of bloating in my daughter, I had absolutely no idea what to do about abdominal colic in newborns. Later, the pediatrician explained everything and advised her to give her daughter Espumisan three times a day for severe colic. Actually, this medicine saved us throughout this difficult period.

Yulia, 25 years old

We managed to avoid severe colic in the baby with the help of plantings. The procedure, I must say, is very difficult, but very useful. Its meaning is that the child is in a position in which the processes of gas emission and defecation are as facilitated as possible. I can say with confidence that this is the most effective method of eliminating colic.

Elena, 28 years old

We suffered for more than a month with these gas engines. They tried with all their might to eliminate the cause of the newborn’s anxiety, but to no avail. On the advice of my grandmother, we decided to warm up my tummy with a special salt heating pad. To my surprise, within 20 minutes after the start of the procedure, the child’s severe colic went away and he stopped crying.

The cry of a baby hurts a mother's heart. How to get rid of colic in newborns - the most common cause of crying in children in the first months of life? The methods are good if they are used in combination: mother’s diet, thermal procedures, massage and gymnastics.

Mom's diet

Infants have a very sensitive and vulnerable digestive system. The immature intestine cannot yet produce sufficient enzymes that will break down milk. A newborn is born with a sterile intestine, and it takes time for it to become populated with normal intestinal flora. After giving birth to a baby, the mother needs to eat only proper and healthy food.

Just one new product in the diet can cause flatulence in a baby. Therefore, until he is six months old and if he is breastfed, the mother must adhere to several rules on how to get rid of colic:

  • drink clean water in sufficient quantities;
  • eat in small portions;
  • put off your favorite delicacies and exotic fruits for six months;
  • dishes should be simple, from seasonal local products, freshly prepared;
  • among protein products, prefer lean varieties of meat, poultry, and fish;
  • It is better to give up whole milk and drink more fermented milk products without sugar and synthetic fruit additives;
  • Heat treatment of food is necessary by stewing, boiling, steaming or baking.

Colic in a newborn can be caused by carbonated drinks, legumes, fresh bread, cocoa-based desserts, cabbage, spicy snacks, smoked foods and pickled foods. When introducing a new product into your diet, mom should be careful. There should be just a little bit of it.

Warmth will help

Simple rules that must be followed after each feeding will help you get rid of colic in newborns.

After the child has eaten, he needs to be raised vertically, in a column. He will regurgitate the excess air that entered the stomach along with the milk. Colic is the result of increased gas production. Therefore, you can eliminate spasm and pain by pressing the baby’s tummy to your own stomach. Warmth, mother's belly, familiar and native smell will calm the newborn.

You can get rid of colic with a baby heating pad, diaper or towel. Wrap a warm, but not hot, heating pad in a thin diaper and apply to the tummy. You can take a diaper or towel, heat it with an iron, fold it in several layers and apply it to your tummy. Disadvantage of the method: the diaper cools down quickly, and you often have to warm it up.

It's better to use a heating pad. Only it will need to be filled not with water, but with salt or sand. They retain heat longer, and when they have cooled down they can be reheated conveniently and quickly in the microwave or oven.

For colic in a newborn, you can make or buy a special heating pad. It can be filled with cherry pits, buckwheat or barley husks. The upper cover is made of wool. Wool holds the heat of the heated filler well.

To make it easier for the mother and she can easily get rid of the night colic of the newborn, the night before bed, the tummy is covered with a terry sheet with a small pillow. During a nighttime spasm attack, a terry compress will keep you warm.

Gymnastics and massage

You can get rid of colic with massage. The baby should be placed tummy down and walked along the back with light stroking movements.

You can perform a simple finger massage. The baby should be undressed and lying on his back. Using the middle and index fingers, apply pressure below the navel on the right and left. Afterwards, the fingers of both hands are located on one side of the navel. Using light, circular movements, your fingers should move clockwise around the navel. The first circle is with a small radius, the second is with a larger radius, etc.

Gymnastics is good for preventing colic. The child is placed on his back. Mom takes him by the legs and, one by one, bending his knees, presses his legs to his tummy. You can bend both legs, press them to your tummy and move in a semicircle on the sides.

Usually babies like this exercise. But if the baby starts to cry, it is better to postpone the procedure. To help your baby relax, it is useful to massage not only the tummy and back, but also the arms and legs with stroking movements. If you do gymnastics 3 times a day, your baby will become calmer and fall asleep well.

An inflatable fitness ball will help prevent colic. The child lies on the ball with his stomach. The mother, supporting the baby, swings the ball from side to side, left and right, back and forth. The elastic surface of the ball easily presses on the stomach and massages well.

Drugs that bring results

The modern pharmaceutical market produces enough products to relieve or prevent colic in a newborn. Preparations based on simethicone:

  1. Espumisan in the form of an emulsion. Recommended by the manufacturer for children from the first day of life. The emulsion should be taken before or after feeding. The drug has no side effects.
  2. Sab Simplex in the form of a suspension. For colic in babies. Give the drug before or after feeding. You can add the suspension to the adapted mixture.
  3. Bobotik in the form of drops. Recommended for children from 1 month.

Preparations based on simethicone have a flavoring additive. Children usually tolerate these medications well. But parents should be attentive and observe the body’s reaction. If the slightest signs of an allergic reaction appear, the drug is discontinued.

Among the prophylactic agents used:

  1. Plantex. The main active ingredient is fennel seed extract. Available in the form of dry powder in bags. Diluted with boiled water.
  2. Dill water or dill tea.
  3. Baby Calm. Natural based product. Ingredients: dill seed oil, mint, anise.

A mother can prepare dill water for her baby herself. Place a few dill seeds in boiling water specially designed for babies, boil for a couple of minutes, remove from heat, let steep and cool. Strained dill water at room temperature is ready for use.

In order for the intestines to function well, in addition to mother's milk or formula, the baby must drink water. Start with 1 tbsp. l., gradually adding. In addition to regular water for colic, you can give soothing weak chamomile tea.

Prevention is very important

Every baby is unique. And each child’s body has its own individual characteristics. Therefore, no one can definitely recommend with certainty what is best. Parents should try, search and find something of their own. One remedy is not suitable, you need to use another. And so on until the most suitable option is found.

Only an integrated approach works. Every effort must be made to ensure that the baby’s daily routine is organized and clear: feedings, walks, sleep at the same time. Typically, intestinal colic begins in a newborn at a certain time of day. But when attacks become more frequent, there is diarrhea or constipation, loss of appetite and no weight gain, it is better not to delay and make an appointment with your local pediatrician. A special examination may be required.

Lactose deficiency is a hereditary pathology. And if there is someone in the family with such a diagnosis, the likelihood that it will manifest itself in the baby is high. Milk is contraindicated for infants suffering from lactose intolerance. It is being replaced by soy-based mixtures with fermented milk products.

Some diseases in babies can cause colic. With treatment of the underlying disease, colic will disappear. If the baby is healthy, the attacks will pass by 4 months. The stomach and intestines will already be sufficiently developed, milk will be processed well, and the baby will become calmer.

But until then, colic and bloating are inevitable. Mom and Dad need to gain strength, be patient and get through these turbulent times.

Colic is a completely natural phenomenon for a baby. As a rule, it is observed in almost every second baby and can appear for various reasons. This may be the consequences of bad habits of a nursing mother, or improper feeding. In any case, this problem causes a lot of discomfort in the baby, disrupts normal nutrition and sleep, and therefore requires immediate intervention.

There are many medicines for colic in the tummy for newborns, however, in order to choose a natural and completely harmless remedy that will not make things worse, you need to carefully approach its choice. In this case, you can also resort to the help of rich traditional medicine, which offers many different methods of struggle, but which method will be the best for your baby is up to you to choose.

As a rule, the main cause of bloating in a child is considered to be a weak body. The child’s body has not yet had time to fully adapt to our world, and therefore reacts sharply to the elements contained in breast milk.

In addition, common causes are maternal nutritional deficiencies, frequent consumption of coffee, tea or alcohol, smoking, and other harmful habits.

Important! The first thing you need to pay attention to when a child experiences bloating is feeding technique. Often this problem is a consequence of improper feeding or latching the baby to the breast, too frequent feeding or using the wrong formula.

You can also tell that a baby has colic by bloating and intestinal problems. As a rule, in 9 cases out of 10, the problem goes away if the cause of its occurrence is eliminated. But you shouldn’t worry in advance, pay for medications and call a doctor at home, because this is not at all a symptom of a disorder or illness in the baby. This phenomenon is observed in children up to 3 months, but completely disappears after 5-6 months. You can make your child's life easier using various methods.

Ways to solve the problem

Many inexperienced mothers, who do not know how to get rid of colic in newborns, immediately go to the pharmacy and are stuffed with drops and other unnecessary drugs, which in most cases can only do more harm than good. Of course, to improve the situation and suppress symptoms, there are many natural and safe medications for babies, but before embarking on a medicinal treatment method, we advise you to first try more gentle methods. Make your baby's life easier after birth with the help of traditional medicine. Colic has existed for a long time, long before we were born, but unlike our generation, our ancestors did not have pharmacies on every corner.

Practical advice: Herbal decoctions and teas can help suppress stomach irritation and gas formation in the child’s stomach. But the use of herbs must be approached carefully so as not to provoke allergies.

Folk methods to help a child

Our grandmothers have long used folk recipes to treat various childhood ailments and stomach problems, including colic. In this case, the most useful are decoctions made from dill and fennel seeds. To prepare, simply pour 1 teaspoon of the indicated dry herbs into 250 ml of boiling water and let it brew for about an hour. The resulting infusion must be carefully filtered and given to the baby during feeding.

Decoctions of the following herbs will also help against bloating problems:

  • Melissa;
  • chamomile;
  • celandine;
  • immortelle;
  • ginger;
  • carrot seeds.

Carrot juice diluted with water is also considered a useful method. In this case, carrot juice should be drunk by a nursing mother. It is enough to drink one glass of drink a day, and also monitor your own nutrition.

Please note: However, you need to be careful with the dosage, especially when using ginger and carrots. These components are strong allergens, and therefore, if used and dosed incorrectly, they can provoke an allergy in a child, especially in the first months of life, when the baby’s body is especially vulnerable.

Medicines for colic - what to choose

Today, when the pharmaceutical industry is more developed than ever before, finding a cure for colic and gas in a newborn from the first days of life is not such a difficult task.

The choice is simply huge, but in this case it is important to remember that every medicine has a downside. Before taking it, you must carefully study the composition of the medicine, its use, indications and possible side effects.

Today, the pharmacy market is full of various powders and tablets for colic. Among the safest and most effective, it is worth highlighting:

Name of medicine Description How it works Price
Planetx Natural fennel-based powder, indicated for children from 2 weeks Has a stimulating effect on the digestive system, improves it and accelerates metabolism, removes gases, eliminates colic From 330 to 350 rub.
Sub simplex Complex based on simethicone, for children from 1 month, added to the feeding mixture Eliminates bloating and gas, soothes the stomach, prevents colic and pain From 250 to 290 rub.
Baby Calm Natural supplement based on dill, anise and mint, indicated for children from 1 month Serves to eliminate and prevent colic, gas formation, bloating, and intestinal problems From 280 to 300 rub.
Bobotik Drops based on simethicone are indicated for babies from 1 month and will not contain sugar Helps reduce bloating and colic, acute pain and stinging, and is eliminated from the body From 250 to 280 rub.
Espumisan baby Natural drops based on herbs and simethicone, indicated for babies from 1 day of life, do not contain sugar and lactose Quickly eliminates gas formation, normalizes the functioning of the stomach and intestines, soothes colic, supports intestinal microflora from the first days From 570 to 600 rubles.
Linex (children) Capsules filled with powder containing lactic bacteria and microelements, added to the feeding mixture, indicated from the first weeks of life Allows you to normalize digestion, prevent the formation of harmful pathogenic bacteria, helps with dysbacteriosis, flatulence, vomiting From 450 to 500 rubles.
Bifiform A solution in oil based on probiotics and prebiotics, indicated from the first days of a child’s life Effective against dysbiosis, digestive disorders, helps improve intestinal microflora, eliminates disorders of the digestive system From 470 to 500 rub.

There are other ways to calm your baby. You can ask your mothers and grandmothers what helps with colic in babies and what exactly they used.

If you've just discovered that your baby is colicky and gassy, ​​here are a few tricks to help:

  • massage your tummy in a circular motion;
  • if crying a lot, put the baby to your chest and rock it with one hand, and stroke the tummy with the other, this will help release gas and calm the baby;
  • You can relax a child when crying a lot by placing him on his stomach;
  • a warm diaper, ironed and pressed against the tummy, will help quickly calm the baby;
  • a warm bath with chamomile will relax and quickly calm the baby even with severe hysterics.

As you can see, you can completely calm down and make your baby’s life easier without purchasing various drops and potent drugs. If the child does not have any other symptoms, it is best not to seek medical help. Home methods effectively cope with this problem and do not harm the baby’s health.

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After the birth of a baby, colic and gasping in newborns, accompanied by screaming or crying, become a completely natural phenomenon. Such problems arise in the second or third week of a child's life and can continue until the third month inclusive. Sometimes a baby begins to suffer from colic already on the third day, and this condition can last for five or six months. The reason is the immaturity of the digestive system, the accumulation of an increased volume of gases, and bloating.

Cause of pathology

Before starting home treatment for colic in a newborn, parents should understand the causes of the phenomenon. As statistics show, in boys, due to physiological characteristics, the phenomenon in question manifests itself more often than in girls. The main reasons why children suffer from colic include:

  • We can talk about aerography, when a baby swallows air during breastfeeding, which is observed in cases of incorrect position during feeding.
  • The reason may be rapid sucking during feeding.
  • The infant may not be latching onto the nipple correctly.
  • If colic occurs in an artificial baby or as a result of complementary feeding, the reason may be that the hole in the nipple is too large.
  • You have to think about how to treat colic in a newborn if the baby cannot burp air after eating.
  • The problem may be that the baby food is too thick or thin.
  • Colic can occur if the baby's water is sweetened with sugar.
  • Overfeeding often has the same effect.
  • Perhaps the baby is not placed on his tummy often enough, which improves digestive processes.
  • It is possible that the problem lies in the hormonal imbalance observed in the mother.
  • A nursing mother includes in her menu foods and dishes that contribute to increased gas formation in the baby - beans, cabbage, sugar, bread, and so on.
  • Diseases for which colic is a concomitant symptom may have an effect.

It is possible that the cause of the pathology is not external, but internal and lies in some abnormalities in the baby.


Such factors include an allergy to cow's milk protein, a deficiency of the lactase enzyme in the baby's body, and individual intolerance to mother's milk or nutritional formula. This can be caused by intestinal infectious pathologies or dysbiosis, in which pathogenic bacteria multiply. Colic can appear in the presence of an infectious process - otitis media, ARVI, pyelonephritis. These diseases can worsen digestion and trigger painful symptoms.

Symptoms of the phenomenon

Symptoms and treatment should be considered in more detail, given that the baby cannot clearly understand what is bothering him. The presence of intestinal colic in an infant is indicated by the following:

  • More often the problem appears in the evening hours, from about 17.00 to 19.00.
  • The first sign is increased anxiety, often accompanied by high-pitched crying.
  • The presence of bloating due to the accumulation of gases; when palpated, the baby’s belly is harder than usual.
  • The child pulls his legs towards his tummy and tenses very much, which is especially clearly visible in the face - it turns red.
  • Flatulence appears, with gas bubbles pressing on the intestines from the inside, hence the pain syndrome.
  • Spasms develop and painful contraction of the intestinal walls occurs.
  • The release of gases indicates that the colic has passed, but after some time the phenomenon may recur.

The child’s parents need not only to know how to get rid of the problem and how to treat colic, but also to be able to distinguish this phenomenon from more serious pathologies. The discomfort indicated by the child's anxiety can also accompany surgical diseases - for example, appendicitis.

The following symptoms indicate the need to consult a specialist:

  • A prolonged attack lasting over four hours.
  • Heat.
  • Vomiting attacks.
  • Diarrhea, bloody or green inclusions in the stool.
  • Deterioration of the child's condition.

General principles of infant care

Let's see how to rid a child of colic on your own. There is a list of recommendations for young parents that guarantee getting rid of this negative phenomenon:

Traditional recipes to help relieve colic in a child

Instead of pharmaceutical drugs, which also do not provide one hundred percent relief from the problem, you can use traditional medicine recipes. Let's talk about how to treat colic in newborns at home using medicinal plants.

Dill

Of course, pharmacies sell ready-made teas designed to treat colic in newborns, but they contain sugar or lactose, as a result of which fermentation and gas production only intensify. It is better to use natural ingredients; the same dill water for colic is used by mothers quite often and quite successfully.

To prepare the product, take dill seeds, grind them in a mortar, pour a small spoon of the ingredient into 300 ml of boiling water, leave in the dark until it cools. Afterwards, the product is filtered through several layers of gauze and the baby is given a drink. The initial dosage is from 10 to 15 ml, this volume must be gradually increased.

Carrot seeds

Dill water has several very successful alternatives. It is suggested to use carrot seeds. Pour two large spoons of the ingredient into a thermos and pour in 500 ml of boiling water. The product should be infused for 40 minutes, then filtered and given to the child as tea.

Fennel

Fennel seeds are prepared a little differently. A small spoon of the crushed ingredient is poured with a cup of boiling water, the container is placed in a water bath, and kept there for 15 minutes. The medicinal liquid is filtered, topped up with boiled water to the initial volume, and cooled. When treating intestinal colic in newborns, infusions of fennel and dill can be given to children from the second week after birth; it is best to take it before feeding, three times a day. A single dose is a small spoon. In this case, the daily volume should not be more than four teaspoons.

Chamomile

A more accessible remedy is chamomile. This is a sedative, so should be used before putting your child to bed. For 1 cup of boiling water, take a small spoon of dried flowers (you can use pharmaceutical bags), and leave the product until it cools.

Mom must understand that most often colic in a child is a natural phenomenon. But she has the power to minimize the baby’s discomfort by controlling her diet and proper feeding.

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