ADVICE FOR PARENTS

Because it is believed that parents’ attitudes have a big effect on babies with colic, it’s important to get help and reassurance for yourself. Colic is not caused by a disease or by something that you have done to your baby and is guaranteed to stop at a certain point. Often changing how you respond to your baby can have a positive effect. However, it’s also very important to look after yourself.

“Colic often causes serious longterm emotional consequences,” says Dr Barry Lester, head of the Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk, founder of The Infant Behavior, Cry and Sleep Clinic, at Brown Medical School, and author of Why Is My Baby Crying. He sees how colic affects couples every day. “It breaks down how the entire family unit functions. I’ve seen marriages break up and older children regress, all because of the tension colic brings into the home.”

HERE ARE SOME HELPFUL TIPS FOR PARENTS DEALING WITH COLIC

• Establish a strong support system.

• Try to get some rest during the day so you have better resources to draw on during the crying hours.

• Take time out by leaving your baby with someone you trust for short periods of time.

• Find a supportive healthcare professional who can guide you through the process of exclusion of causes for your colicky baby.

• Take turns with your partner in caring for your baby when he’s crying. Agree that you’ll take 20-minute shifts, and when it’s your turn to take a break, go where you can’t hear the crying – take a walk or listen to music that will drown out the noise.