Simple Natural Remedies For Baby Colic

There are all sorts of baby colic remedies on offer for babies struggling with colic symptoms.

But most involve obsessively fussing over our diet if we’re breastfeeding or baby’s milk if they are bottle fed or buying yet more new baby stuff!!

And in all that fussing we often miss the simple baby colic remedies that really do relieve baby’s gas and pain.

I certainly did when my little one cried for hours on end at the end of every afternoon for weeks on end.

So I have for you here the 12 essential remedies that finally sorted out my baby’s colic symptoms PLUS her breastfeeding and sleeping issues and did NOT cost a thing!

I really hope these remedies relieve your baby’s colic symptoms. Do let me know how they work for you.

This is NOT medical advice. Seek qualified help if your baby is sick.

Baby Colic Symptoms

Baby colic symptoms crop up when newborns are 2 to 3 weeks old.

The symptoms often peak at 4-6 weeks and pass by 12 to 16 weeks.

Common baby colic symptoms are :

1. Persistent high pitch crying
2. For as much as 3-5 hours
3. Red face
4. Back arched
5. Knees pulled up to tummy
6. Tight tummy
7. Fists clenched.

The symptoms are most common in the late afternoon and early evening.

Babies with colic symptoms may not be feeding or sleeping brilliantly but do not typically fail to thrive.

Always seek medical advice if your baby is sick in anyway.

The Essential Baby Colic Remedies You Must Not Miss

1. Burping

Burping our baby to help them expel gas may seem a blatantly obvious essential for newborns.

But we aren’t all confident doing it.

Many of us are new with our baby to holding a newborn and are fearful of not supporting their head properly.

If your baby has colic symptoms and you’re not burping every feed do!!.

The basic principles are :

• Keep head & neck supported
• Firm circular movements on back
• Apply gentle pressure to belly.

2. Burping Baby Lots

Even if we are burping baby, we may not be burping them enough.

We need to burp our baby lots at each feed to stop colic symptoms:

1. Burp baby when you switch breasts if you are breastfeeding.
2. Burp baby after every 2 to 3 ounces / 55-85 ml of milk if bottle fed.
3. Burp baby again for at least a few minutes after every single feed.

And continue to burp baby a little gently throughout the day.

3. Burp Baby Different Ways

Burping baby in different positions can really help to shift trapped gas.

So mix it up every day with all of these different burping positions :

• Sitting on lap
• Over shoulder
• Lying across lap
• “Tiger in the tree” – lie baby tummy down on one arm whilst you rub their back with the other.

The tiger in the tree is a great position for relieving gas when your baby is suffering colic symptoms.

As is the baby cycling position:

1. Lie baby on back,
2. Gently move legs up to tummy
3. As if cycling.

OK so we’ve covered burping in all its glory. Now onto baby wearing.

4. Try Baby Wearing A Bit

So many baby fads demand we go the whole hog committing ourselves to one extreme position or another.

But we don’t have to go all in on attachment parenting to get the benefits of baby wearing for colic.

Carrying a baby upright in a sling or carrier for a little most days can prevent and ease colic symptoms.

A little bit of baby wearing is also a great way for us as parents to realise the huge benefits of walking daily.

Walking just a mile or so daily can ease depression & anxiety, raised blood sugar and back pain!!

So for your health and baby’s, walk with baby in a carrier for 20 minutes :

1. First thing in the morning (this will transform your baby’s sleep!!)
2. After a lunch time or mid afternoon feed before colic symptoms hit.

Those 2 short walks will get you 5-6,000 steps daily which is a real sweet spot for women’s health.

But partners, friends and family can also help out with colic relieving baby wearing when we need rest.

5. Raise Baby’s Head

Another super basic tip to relieve colic pain is raising baby’s head.

We don’t need to buy more fancy baby stuff to do this. Just follow these tips which also ease reflux :

1. Feed baby with head raised a little
2. Hold them upright for 10-15 minutes after feeding if not carrying
3. Raise head slightly in pram
4. Raise the head end of cot or crib slightly with a few magazines.

I would also look out for a great quality, second hand baby bouncer e.g. BabyBjorn, ErgoBaby.

2nd Hand Baby Bouncers

Baby bouncers are brilliant for keeping baby’s head gently raised when you have your hands full.

They also let baby watch what we’re to up as they become more alert at 4-8 weeks when colic kicks in.

Super smart baby bouncers e.g. BabyBjorn and ErgoBaby ones are expensive but cost the same second hand as a cheap one does new.

The great second hand one will sell on for the same price whilst the cheap one will lose 50% of its value.

6. Watch For Over Tiredness

Persistent high pitch screaming in the late afternoon and early evening is a key sign of painful gas and colic.

But it is also a key sign of exhaustion which in itself can trigger colic which in turn stops baby sleeping!!

Easing our baby into a gentle rhythm of naps from 3 weeks old can ensure they’re not too tired by evening and break the colic-exhaustion cycle.

7. Use A Pacifier If It Helps

It is easy to get high and mighty about pacifiers when we’re pregnant but some babies seem happier sucking and sleep better for having one. Mine did. And sleep truly is the best medicine for colic.

8. Slash Sugar & Caffeine

Lots of advice for easing baby colic in breastfed babies encourages us to fuss obsessively about our own diet excluding more and more food and forking out for super ingredients.

But the two single biggest culprits are typically sugar and caffeine. They often underly our own issues with painful gastritis and acid reflux.

So rather than heading down the rabbit hole of obsessive diet changes – you may never get out! – focus your effort on slashing sugar and gently easing up on caffeine.

Even If Your Bottlefeeding

Slashing sugar and caffeine even helps ease colic in bottle-fed babies!

As new mothers we are awash with the hyper-anxiety hormones we need to care for our newborn.

These naturally upend our :

1. Stress hormones
2. And ability to sleep.

But caffeine and sugar sends these hormones horribly haywire.

Gently calming and soothing our new born to prevent colic is near impossible when we ourselves are riding a crazy roller coaster of emotions and utterly exhausted!!

Sugar spiralling hormones and exhaustion also contribute to low milk supply, itself a trigger for colic.

So we need to stop mainlining sugar and caffeine and boost our energy with proper protein, more minerals and better sleep.

9. Fill Up On Proper Protein

A protein rich diet is essential for new mothers as it boosts :

1. Breast milk production
2. Basic energy levels
3. Sleep quality
4. AND mental health.

All 4 of which help us to help our baby to see off colic before it starts!!

But new mothers easily go short.

Recent research found 38% of pregnant women were protein deficient and we don’t make that up surviving on sugar after baby’s born!!

Breastfeeding mothers typically need at least 70-85g of protein daily – that’s a 12oz steak every day!!

Protein Rich Food

So find the easiest possible ways to get a proper protein boost daily :

• Steak
• Chops
• Grilled salmon
• Slices of cold beef from a joint
• Cottage cheese
• Eggs
• Nuts & seeds
• Natural yoghurt (sugar free)
• Glass of milk
• Hummus.

One clever hack is bulk cooking quinoa for quick porridge daily. A big bowl with milk, nuts and seeds can deliver 25g of protein for breakfast :

10. Less Fuss, More Minerals

Most advice on baby colic comes with long lists of food to avoid.

I tried to follow these list. Don’t.

Just find the quickest easiest ways to eat good simple food rich in critical minerals including :

• Calcium
• Iron
• Magnesium
• B12

Which just means good quality

• Meat including red meat the best source of iron and B12
• Fish & seafood
• Full fat dairy
• Eggs
• Nuts & seeds
• Leafy greens
• A big rainbow of other veg
• A bit of fruit but don’t over do it
• A good mix of grains.

But what about all the gassy food and garlic and spice? Don’t we have to avoid those religiously?

The good news is no we don’t as I explain in the gassy diet myth below.

11. Sleep When Baby Sleeps

You might not think your sleep could impact your baby’s colic – especially if you’re not breastfeeding – but it can. Sleep deprivation can :

• Send stress hormones soaring sky high into the stratosphere
• Making it hard to soothe baby.

And if we are breastfeeding can :

• Lower milk supply
• Undermine milk quality.

Low milk supply and nutritionally deficient milk can be tied to colic as our baby may over suck to get milk and take in too much gas.

So really do try to sleep whenever baby sleeps. Even cat naps will help.

But if our baby’s not sleeping well during the day colic can be a vicious circle. They’re exhausted and we’re too exhausted to soothe them triggering more colic symptoms.

This is when we need real help.

12. Get Real Help

By real help I don’t mean a fancy feeding or sleep consultant but someone to look after you.

Ask a relative or friend to come for an hour or so round midday so you can lie down – minus phone! – to at least shut your eyes if not sleep.

It can unlock the colic logjam by steadying stress hormones and milk supply and simply making it easier to sooth baby to sleep well.

My mum did this for me it was without doubt the very best natural remedy for my baby’s colic!

Core Colic Remedies

OK so now you have 12 simple core remedies for baby colic :

1. Remember to burp baby.
2. Do burp baby lots during & after feeding and through day.
3. Use different burping positions.
4. Carry baby upright in carrier.
5. Raise baby’s head slightly when they are lying down.
6. Help baby nap during day so not over tired end of afternoon.
7. If a pacifier helps use one.
8. Slash your sugar & caffeine.
9. Eat plenty of proper protein
10. Focus on eating mineral rich food rather than avoiding food.
11. Sleep when baby sleeps.
12. Get real help.

If you focus on these you really can relieve baby colic symptoms PLUS baby reflux symptoms and boost baby’s sleep, breastfeeding and your own wellbeing.

Just remember to keep it simple and studiously ignore any of the over complicated baby colic tips below that friends may share with you …

6 Baby Colic Tips To Ignore

Six of the most common baby colic tips I wish I’d ignored are :

1. Avoiding gassy food
2. Changing bottle teats
3. Miracle colic products
4. Breastfed babies don’t get colic
5. Follow this exact schedule
6. Essential oil massage

This isn’t to say these colic remedies don’t help some babies a bit but in different ways they all encourage us to chase obscure miracle cures rather than trusting the simple rhythms and habits that nurture baby’s overall health as well as our own.

1. Strictly Avoid Gassy Food

Some of us do have pre-pregnancy issues with gastritis and this can sometimes have a role in colic.

But the real big culprits are :

1. Sugar
2. Sodas
3. Fruit juice & smoothies
4. Caffeine
5. PLUS – I hate to say it – unbalanced plant based diets.

Easing up on the first four and making sure we get plenty of protein and some simple plain carbs are the best easy ways to tackle gastritis as a colic trigger with a new baby.

Diving down the rabbit holes of obsessive food lists as new mothers when we are high wired with essential anxiety hormones is a recipe for more anxiety and unlikely to help baby colic symptoms.

If you are suffering severe or persistent gastric pain always seek medical advice.

2. Change Bottle Teats

All sorts of baby bottle brands out there offer different “colic free” teats.

Some babies may get on better with particular teats and it does help to change teats as babies get older.

But obsessively hunting the “right” teat for our baby is an endless game of anxiety inducing pot-luck.

And it distracts us from the core baby colic remedies that more reliably make a bigger difference.

3. Miracle Colic Products

There are a zillion and one baby colic products out there you can obsessively work your way through :

• Gas relief drops
• Gripe water
• Teething powders
• Colocyncth crystals
• Rectal thermometers!!!

Some might possibly make a marginal difference for some babies but all that time spent hunting them down and obsessing about whether they are working would be far better spent sleeping or burping baby!!

4. Breastfed Babies Absolutely Never Get Colic

Some ever so helpful people will be keen to tell you breastfed babies don’t get colic. Ignore them.

5. Follow This Exact Sleep Schedule To Avoid Colic

Some supposed experts claim your baby will never have colic if you follow their exact schedule to the minute. Possibly, but for many of us this advice makes thing worse.

Some babies and parents thrive on schedules but some don’t and some of us try but fail to stick to them.

By trying to follow a schedule that obviously wasn’t working for my baby, I made the colic worse because I ignored the simple core colic remedies that make a huge difference schedule or no schedule.

6. Essential Oil Massages

Some mothers swear baby massage with specific essential oils is a miracle remedy for baby colic.

Having trotted off religiously to baby massage class I can NOT agree.

I mean fine, if you are already into essential oils and massage it may help but it easily becomes just another thing to fail at as parents.

The wonderful thing about the core colic remedies is not just they work but that they build our confidence in our ability as parents to help our baby thrive without endless new products or expert advice.

I do hope these baby colic remedies help. For more simple baby tips follow me on Pinterest and have a read of these:

• 12 Baby Sleep Tips
• 5 Breastfeeding Tips
• 17 Mastitis Remedies
• 25 Baby Reflux Tips
• Save Money On Baby Stuff

sleepy jeanie, 1-month crying baby boy on the bed by Marco Verch under Creative Commons 2.0