Colic : advice for comforting baby

Baby cries and squirms, they seem inconsolable. Did you know that more than half of babies suffer from digestive discomfort during their first year1? Your baby may be suffering from colic. Colic is no fun, but there are ways to relieve it.

What is infant colic?

Infant colic, also known as infant digestive pains, is one of the fears of young parents. It manifests itself through tummy pains and causes baby to cry and be agitated. Colic consists of intense crying that lasts for more than 3 hours a day, at least 3 days a week and for 3 weeks2.

Knees bent, fists clenched, an expression of pain on their face and tears that truly seem inconsolable: baby has all the symptoms of colic. These long cries are heart-wrenching, but don't worry. Despite how it looks, colic is not at all serious.

Relieving the discomfort of colic

There are several ways to ease baby's colic and calm their crying. If baby starts to cry and squirm, the best remedy is you. Hold them against you, rock them, walk around with them: movement often provides effective relief.

What is important is that baby is in a comfortable position and that it is also comfortable for you. 

Laying them on your forearm, against your tummy, with their little head facing your elbow, is a position that has been proven to work.

Colic and breastfeeding

Infant colic occurs in the first few months. Contrary to popular belief, your diet has nothing to do with colic3. You can eat anything, depending on what takes your fancy and your dietary habits. Infant colic can seem overwhelming but it won't last, and each baby reacts in their own way. Little by little, you will find the best way to relive it, and it will then disappear, soon becoming a distant memory!

1 Vandenplas and al., Prevalence and health outcomes of functional gastrointestinal symptoms in infants from birth to 12 months of age. JPGN, volume 61, number 5, November 2015.

2Roy, et al. Intérêt d’une formule infantile épaissie avec activité lactasique dans la prise en charge des troubles digestifs bénins du nourrisson. Paragraph "Introduction" Archives de Pédiatrie. 2004.

3 Paediatr Child Health, Infantile colic: Is there a role for dietary interventions? by JN Critch, published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, January 2011.

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Breast milk is the ideal food for infants. WHO recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first 6 months and then continuation thereof until the age of 2 alongside the introduction, from 6 months, of safe and appropriate complementary foods. Please consult a healthcare professional if you need any advice about feeding your baby.