How to rid a child of colic. How can you get rid of colic in newborns? Treatment of colic in newborns: what a nursing mother can eat

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 repeats, then the child should be shown to a pediatrician.

Essence of the problem

Abdominal colic in a newborn baby is a reaction of his intestines to food in the form of pain. 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.

Common causes include such anomalies as dysbacteriosis, individual lactose intolerance, gastroesophageal reflux, and increased sensitivity of the child to external influences. The reaction of the baby's body largely depends on the diet of the nursing woman, since the composition of breast milk can change under the influence of the food consumed. The most provoking foods can be considered the following: cabbage, corn, onions, tomatoes, nuts, coffee and caffeinated products, fermented milk products, hot seasonings, carbonated drinks, marinades and pickles.

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 infants, 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 preventive 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 absolutely did not know what to do about colic in the abdomen 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 nighttime 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 needs to 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. Mom, 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.

Intestinal colic is the cause of suffering in most babies and is usually associated with adaptation to extrauterine existence. Colic usually appears by 2-4 weeks after birth and disappears by 3 months.

Intestinal spasms cause painful sensations, increased gas production, the child becomes restless, he may experience regurgitation, belching and even sometimes vomiting. How can you help a child in such a situation?

Safe ways to relieve a baby from colic

Massaging your baby's belly can remove excess gases and significantly reduce the amount of gases produced. How to do a massage correctly? Massage movements should be soft, fan-shaped and directed strictly clockwise (in the direction of intestinal peristalsis). It is also recommended to alternate massage movements with dynamic gymnastics. The exercise of bending your knees and pressing them to your tummy helps a lot. This combined massage should calm the baby for 5-10 minutes.

After feeding, be sure to hold the baby upright for 10-15 minutes. In this position, the baby will get rid of the air that entered the digestive system along with the food.

This procedure should become regular. However, it is important to remember that it should not be placed on the tummy immediately after feeding, as this may cause regurgitation or vomiting. If your baby doesn’t like lying on his tummy, you can roll him on a ball, hold him upright, pressing his tummy to you, or simply hang him over your knee.

4. Convenient feeding

Find a comfortable position for feeding your baby. This is necessary, first of all, so that the child captures the nipple areola as much as possible. In this case, air will not enter the baby's digestive tract. If the baby is bottle-fed, you need to carefully monitor the correct angle of the bottle. It is best to bottle feed with your baby on a pillow (not a soft one).

5. Drinking

The water that a bottle-fed baby receives can be replaced with dill water, tea with chamomile or fennel. If the child is breastfeeding, then the mother can drink such herbs. The baby will receive active substances that relieve spasms through breast milk.

6. Maternal nutrition

The likely cause of colic in a baby may be the mother's diet. Fresh vegetables and fruits should be excluded as much as possible from her diet, replacing them with boiled and stewed ones. It is best to temporarily avoid eating foods such as cabbage, legumes, grapes, corn, nuts, tomatoes, onions, hot spices, and cow's milk products.

If the listed foods are the cause of colic, then the baby will stop showing signs of anxiety within 1-2 days after the mother’s diet is revised.

7. Warmth

Another life-saving way to help your baby is dry heat. The diaper should be heated with a warm iron or after placing it on a hot radiator, and then applied to the baby’s tummy. This old and proven method is great for treating acute colic. It is only important that the diaper is not hot, but moderately warm, otherwise, instead of helping, you can harm the baby.

A warm bath will help quickly relieve your baby of cramping pain and gas in the intestines. After the procedure, the child usually calms down.

9. Special bottle

An anti-colic bottle, which has a curved shape and a special valve system, will help the baby not to swallow air during feeding, which is most often the main cause of colic. This option for getting rid of colic is especially relevant for artificial babies.

10. Gas outlet tube

A sterile gas outlet tube, which can be made independently from the vault of enema No. 1, will help rid the baby of excess gases in the intestines. Be sure to lubricate the tip of the tube with Vaseline oil.

It would seem that colic in a newborn is unlikely to cause a serious illness. However, in reality they become a real disaster not only for the baby, but also for the parents. Also, colic can serve as a symptom or even a cause of truly serious pathologies. Therefore, you should not ignore this issue.

Causes of colic in infants

The problem can appear between 2 weeks and 4 months of age. The baby begins to behave very anxiously, especially in the evening. It’s hard not to notice: the face begins to turn very red, the child kicks his feet and screams loudly. A newborn may scream and cry until he passes gas or even feces.

After the first episode, colic in infants of this age can last up to 30 minutes, appearing several times a week. But if you don’t take action, the pain will become more frequent and last longer - up to 3-5 hours.

This condition can hardly be called a pathology, since it can occur even in completely healthy newborns. However, the following reasons for this malaise can be identified:

1. Incorrect feeding technique - the baby may swallow air along with milk or formula. Therefore, if the baby is bottle-fed, you need to ensure that the bottle is positioned at a maximum angle of 45 degrees to avoid air accumulation at the bottom.
2. Overfeeding - Excessive feeding can cause gas and frequent regurgitation. You should resort to frequent and small meals.
3. When the wrong mixture is selected.
4. If the mother's diet is unbalanced.
5. Often the cause of colic is the nicotine addiction of a nursing mother.
6. Food allergies in a child, including lactose intolerance.

If colic is accompanied by loss of appetite, lack of weight gain, and changes in bowel movements, then we can conclude that they are a sign of a more serious problem. You should consult a doctor who will prescribe additional examination.

What to do with colic?

In general, the following methods should help your baby get rid of colic without medical intervention:

1. Before feeding the baby, it is necessary to lay it tummy down on a flat and fairly hard surface.
2. You should hold your baby upright after each feeding until he burps.
3. You can make a warm compress using an ironed diaper. After heating, the baby's tummy is wrapped in a diaper. This grandmother’s method is very effective even for acute attacks in newborns.
4. A light massage in the form of circular movements in a clockwise direction will help.
5. Press your baby's tummy against your chest.
6. After feeding, you can give your baby dill water. Fennel tea is no less effective.
7. You can remove gases using a gas outlet tube.
8. Replace formula for bottle-fed newborns.

Medicine for colic in newborns

Among the medications for this problem in newborns, two groups can be distinguished:

1. Means for prevention - such drugs cannot guarantee one hundred percent prevention of the problem. The effect of these products is to reduce gas formation. You can highlight such medications as Plantex, dill water, Baby Calm.
2. Colic-relieving medications - used directly during attacks to stop them. The composition of such drugs is based on Simethicone, which helps eliminate surface tension in the intestinal muscles. The substance breaks down gases into tiny bubbles, reducing discomfort in the child. Examples include Espumisan L, Sub Simplex and Bobotik.

Try to avoid self-treatment; taking medications is indicated only after consultation with specialists.

Treatment of colic in newborns: what can a nursing mother eat?

A new mother should exclude the following foods from her diet:

• nuts;
• onion and garlic;
• caffeinated products;
• culinary delights with the addition of hot spices;
• corn and beans;
• cow's milk;
• tomatoes;
• cabbage

If the cause of colic was the mother’s incorrect diet, then after its correction, the baby’s ailments disappear after 1-2 days.

The digestive tract of a child who has recently been born is completely sterile. In the first year of life, the intestines are populated by “good” microbes. They actively multiply, causing bloating and increased gas formation. Pediatricians consider colic to be a natural process that does not require drug treatment. And to make the baby feel better, mothers are advised to use unconventional methods.

Diet for colic

The body of a newborn is very sensitive in the first 3–4 months. Just one product that a nursing woman decides to pamper herself with can trigger another attack of flatulence. Until the baby is 4–6 months old, mothers are advised not to consume:

• whole milk;
• cucumbers;
• beans and peas;
• carbonated drinks;
• white cabbage;
• raisins and grapes;
• pears;
• bell pepper

Zucchini and carrots, cauliflower and prunes are useful. For lactating women whose intestinal microflora is disrupted due to pregnancy, fermented milk products are recommended: natural yogurt, cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, hard cheese and kefir. The mother's body will share digestive enzymes with the newborn, and colic in the baby will appear less frequently.

For babies who are bottle-fed, when experiencing flatulence, they are given both regular and fermented milk formulas. Combined nutrition helps the baby's intestines produce enzymes for digesting food. Peristalsis improves, and gases practically do not bother the baby.

In addition to mother's milk or formula, the child should also receive boiled water. At the age of 4–6 months, infants are given weak chamomile tea, which soothes and relieves spasms. But for some babies, such drinks are contraindicated, because they cause the child to develop allergies or increase flatulence.

When dehydrated or lack of fluid, digestive processes slow down and it becomes more difficult for the intestines to process milk. The food stagnates and ferments, gas bubbles form, and the newborn’s stomach becomes swollen and begins to hurt. First, infants are given a tablespoon of boiled water. Gradually the amount of liquid increases.

It is also useful for mother to drink still water and herbal infusions, if the newborn is not allergic to the latter.

The child is crying due to cramps in the tummy. Infants younger than 3 months are not recommended to give medications, dill water, or use candles. Medicines are replaced by warming the intestines with warm diapers or towels.

High temperatures increase blood flow to the abdomen, improving the functioning of the digestive organs. Heat relieves cramps and promotes the release of gases. How to warm up a diaper? Fold in several layers and iron with a hot iron. Place the cloth on the inside of your arm: if the skin is warm and pleasant, you can cover the newborn’s tummy with a diaper. Is there a red mark left and it stings? Cool the fabric a little and then apply it, otherwise you can burn the baby’s delicate skin.

In winter, a terry towel or diaper is heated on radiators. Place a dry compress on the heating device and leave for 10–15 minutes. When the fabric is warm enough, remove it and place it on the intestinal area.

The only drawback of a diaper compress is that it cools down quickly. The mother has to constantly heat the fabric, so neither she nor the child is able to rest and sleep.

An alternative to a diaper is a heating pad, which is filled not with water, but with salt or sand. The dry substance is heated in a frying pan, oven or microwave. Place it in a rubber casing and apply it to the newborn’s stomach, wrapped in a terry towel.

There are also special heating pads for infants with woolen covers. Manufacturers use cherry pits or barley husks as a filler. The material retains heat for a long time and is suitable even for babies with sensitive skin or a tendency to allergies. Warmers for newborns are heated in the microwave.

During flatulence, the baby's belly is covered with a pillow or terry robe. Plus: such a compress retains heat for a long time, so newborns do not wake up in the middle of the night from another attack of cramps. Minus: it is difficult for a child who has intestinal pain to lie in one place and wait for the pillow to warm up to a comfortable temperature.

Colic occurs due to increased gas production. To remove spasms and pain, the baby is undressed, leaving only a diaper, and placed with his stomach against mom or dad. The newborn's head is placed on the right hand, and the upper and lower limbs are tried to be spread apart as much as possible. The baby is stroked on the back and gently rocked to calm him down.

When the baby presses its stomach against the mother's body, its intestines contract and gases come out. The spasms disappear, and the baby, lulled by the warmth and familiar smell, calms down and quickly falls asleep.

You can put the newborn to mom's or dad's belly at night, when the parents do not have the strength to rock and exercise. If the method does not work, it is recommended to stretch the baby’s intestines with gentle movements. Using light pressure, massage clockwise, and then run your fingers several times from the stomach to the navel and slightly below. Circular movements will relax the muscles and intestines, and the stomach will be cleared of gas.

Restless babies who do not want to lie on their mother are recommended to be rocked in the star position. Place the head on the elbow, the tummy on the forearm, and let the baby’s arms and legs hang at the sides. Hold your newborn's back to prevent him from falling and gently rock him while humming a song or talking to your baby in a low whisper.

It is difficult for mothers, tired of the hysterics and screams of their babies, to remain calm, but the baby should not be scolded for colic or used physical force against him. Punishment only worsens the emotional well-being of the newborn, he becomes more nervous, and the spasms intensify. A woman should give the baby to dad or put him in the crib, go into another room for a few minutes, and when the irritation and anger subsides, return to the child. The calmer the mother is, the faster the baby will stop crying and fall asleep.

It is useful to do exercises with newborns. Exercise stimulates intestinal motility, preventing the formation of gases. But you should work with your child before meals, when he is not bothered by colic and spasms.

1. Undress the baby and place his back on a changing table or other hard surface.
2. Stroke the newborn's tummy with your palm bent in the shape of a ladle. Move from the esophagus to the navel, applying light pressure.
3. Massage your tummy with one hand and raise your legs with the other to facilitate the release of gases. Repeat the movement 4-6 times, give the baby a little rest.
4. Lower and straighten your legs, stroke your thighs for 5-10 seconds to relax the muscles.
5. Bring your knees together and slowly lift towards your navel. Spread your heels slightly to the sides.
6. Count down 10 seconds and carefully return to the starting position.
7. Stretch the legs and rub them with light movements to disperse the blood and help the baby relax.
8. Using your index fingers, draw a circle around your navel. One hand should move clockwise, and the other in the opposite direction. Repeat the exercise 5–6 times.

Thanks to the exercise, the tummy has relaxed, now you need to stroke the baby’s legs and arms to relieve tension in the muscles. If you repeat the exercises 3-4 times a day, the child will sleep more peacefully, because gases will come out and not accumulate in the intestines.

During the next attack of flatulence, it is recommended that the baby be placed with his stomach on a fitness ball, which is covered with a heated sheet. Roll the baby up and down or left and right. The direction is selected individually, depending on the reaction of the child and his intestines.

A child who is blushing and straining should be placed with his back on the table and his legs raised, and then gently pressed against his tummy. Repeat 4-5 times until gases begin to pass. The “Bicycle” exercise helps with colic. The lower limbs of the newborn are raised and bent at the knees, imitating riding a two-wheeled vehicle.

If heat and physical activity are not enough, the child is given medications or homeopathic preparations.

Folk and pharmacy remedies

Colic will go away if you give your baby a decoction of dill or carrot seeds. The drink has a carminative effect and eliminates spasms. An infusion of yarrow or fennel or dried chamomile tea will relieve flatulence.

Give the child no more than 10 ml of homeopathic remedy at a time. If a rash appears after the decoction, the newborn is allergic to the plant component. You will have to treat colic with medications.

Pharmacies also sell gas tubes that help clear the intestines of feces and excess air, but not all children tolerate this procedure calmly. A humane way to get rid of colic is a cotton swab dipped in massage or simple vegetable oil. The tip is inserted between the buttocks and lubricated the butt. The oil functions as a laxative and carminative.

Newborns with colic are prescribed:

• Bifidum;
• Plantex;
• Baby Calm;
• Espumisan;
• herbal teas with fennel;
• pharmaceutical dill water.

Colic in newborns goes away at 5–6 months of life. If no methods or medications help with flatulence, the mother can only endure this period. The baby's intestines will learn to produce enzymes and digest milk, gases will stop accumulating and bothering the baby, and the baby will sleep soundly all night.

Video: how to help a child with colic

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 medicine 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:

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.