Colic Home Remedies

Every infant cries sometimes, just ask any new parent and they will agree this is the case. But what do you do when the crying lasts for hours, day after day, week after week, for no apparent reason?

This behavior is referred to as "Colic", and it was first discussed back in the 1950's by a doctor Morris Wessel, a pediatrician. He found that some of his little patients would cry for hours on end, even though they had been fed, changed, rested, and had no other medical or physical problems. His conclusion was that digestive gas resulted in pain, and opened up peoples eyes to the fact that there was a possible medical reason behind the crying.

And as frustrating and painful as colicky behavior must be for an infant, it can be that much worse on the parents!

And unlike adults, infants can be so sensitive to medication, so prescribing a sedative or other medication is out of the question!

So, many parents want to know, what home remedies can be used to treat colic?

Here are a few of the more popular tips and colic home remedies:

1. Overfeeding - Since colicky babies generally start crying after eating is over, for 1 - 4 hours afterward, many parents feel they want more food. This is known to increase the crying, not reduce it, so do not overfeed a colicky baby.

2. Avoid Certain foods - Juices and other foods with a large amount of sugar can bring intestinal pain because of the excess gas they produce.

3. Mothers should avoid gas producing foods- A mother who breastfeeds and eats beans, onions, cabbage, caffeine, drinks milk, or other gas producing foods should avoid them.

4. Fennel - In a double blind, placebo controlled study involving 125 infants who suffered from colic, the study demonstrated the babies who took the fennel had a 40% decrease in crying over just 14% of the babies who received a placebo. These babies were given 12mg of fennel per 1 kg of body weight. Another very limited study was conducted using a tea that contained fennel, lemon balm, chamomile, and licorice. This tea showed promise as well.

WARNING: before using any herb or medication on an infant, consult a doctor. Unwanted side effects are possible, and could result in illness or developmental damage.

So, for those of you who have a colicky baby, you may try the first 3 steps first, and if they don't improve symptoms, talk to your doctor about using fennel as a colic home remedy. If he/she approves this, be sure to do your research on the various herbal products, and make sure you purchase 100% pure organic fennel. Typically a fennel syrup or infusion is what can be used for an infant.