Need Help with Colic

Updated on March 14, 2007
G.S. asks from El Mirage, AZ
39 answers

My baby Nathan is gonna be 1 month on the 4th and he has colic. He begins to cry at 6p.m. until about midnight. I have tried everything I can think of but nothing is working. I have tried swaddling, swinging, car rides, baths, burping, and the gas drops. Does anyone know of anything else I can do or give him to ease his pain? I am currently breastfeeding and I am eating very well and staying away from fiber that can cause gas. He eats very well throughout the day and wakes once a night to eat. Thank you very much.

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T.E.

answers from Phoenix on

Have you tried Gripe water by Baby Bliss yet? You can get it at Sprouts. It helped my little girl with the gassiness that brings on the crying fits.

T.

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L.S.

answers from Albuquerque on

Try mansania tea, it will help with the pain of the gass and help him get it or you can pump his legs like he is riding a bike

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A.B.

answers from Phoenix on

I understand what you are going through. A friend of mine had a little boy with colic, and some things that really helped her was keeping milk out of her diet, and another thing called gripe water. You can buy it a Fry's grocery store, and Kid to Kid resale shop.
Hope this helps!

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A.N.

answers from Albuquerque on

Oh, G., I feel for you! My son (now almost 6 months old) was colicky until he was about 3 1/2 months, except he cried ALL of the time. Literally, if he wasn't sleeping or eating, he was crying. For about the first month or so, he only cried in the evenings, but then it just got worse and worse until he was crying all of the time.
I was like you - I tried everything that was suggested and the only thing that worked was the sound of the vacuum. I didn't want to run out the motor, so I found a CD that plays the sound of the vacuum continuously for 1 hour. There is a great website: www.colicshop.com where you can buy the CD (I couldn't find it anywhere in town). They also sell other things that are supposed to help. The CDs are kind of pricy, so if you want I can just burn a copy and send it to you. I also have a CD with the sound of the hair dryer and fan (they came in a 3-pack).
Some other things that my pediatrician suggested (none of them worked for my son, but you never know, every baby is different):
-Humphrey's Tablets (they are made for teething, but can also be used for colic)
-Gripe water (sold at Sunflower market)
-Keep baby upright for 1 hour after feeding, have him sleep in a swing or infant carrier
Also, don't give up on breastfeeding if you don't want to! Most cases of colic are not due to food or milk alergies so changing to formula probably won't help and then your milk could dry up. I was so desperate to get my son to stop crying that I was willing to try anything, so I put him on formula specially made to help reduce colic while still pumping. It didn't work and my milk supply really decreased and recently dried up. Now he is completely on formula and I was like you - wanting to breastfeed for a year.
So...I know this is really long-winded, but I just went through this so it is fresh in my mind. If you want to chat, or just want some support, send me a message (also if you want me to copy those CDs).
Good luck, and stay strong - this too shall pass.
A.

3 moms found this helpful
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K.W.

answers from Phoenix on

The only thing that helped with our son ws running the vacum, you could start off trying a fan, white noise machine, things of that nature . We ran the vacum day and night by the time he was 8 months old we were on our 3rd vacum. It was an instant fix for his crying. we tried everything we knew to try before the vacum. Good luck.

3 moms found this helpful
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B.B.

answers from Phoenix on

I had the same problem and I went to Walgreens in the baby area there are colic tablets give him 2 when he begins crying and read the instructions on how often to give them to him but that wrked for me and they are 100% natural so there is no side effects and they melt in his mouth with his saliva.

3 moms found this helpful
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K.

answers from Santa Fe on

My son would start to cry at 4:30 p.m. and go until 7:00 p.m. Not as drastic as your situation but, it turned out that he was just exhausted and he was overtired. I wasn't making sure he got enough sleep during the day. He was giving the signs of being tired, but I waited too long to let him nap. I hope this helps.

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A.

answers from Tucson on

My son had colic too in addition to reflux, and I tried breastfeeding, but it made it worse. I ended up putting him on Nuetramigin formula. It didn't completely solve the problem, but helped tremendously. Good luck!

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A.W.

answers from Phoenix on

I realize that this advice is going to sound a little strange, but at my mom's group meeting yesterday we had a speaker Dr. William Jarman. He is a chiropractor that specializes in children. He brought one of his 6 children with us and explained how having your children seen by a chiropractor can be beneficial to there health and a successful way to deal with issues besides taking them to the doctors. I can't explain it as well as he did. He did show us how he checks the babies and how he makes adjustments. Trust me the thought of a chiropractor adjusting my children seemed terrifying to me but it was actually very painless and nothing like how they adjust adults. I think it would be worth speaking to him about.

His information is

Dr William C Jarman D.C.
Foresight chiropractic
###-###-####
2915 E. Baseline Rd. Suite 126
Gilbert, AZ 85234

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M.S.

answers from Denver on

I had this with my daughter and it was from my breastmilk..I went off of all milk products and still she was colicky with blood in her stool (a lot) so then I went off of ANYTHING with soy, soy lechitin (which is in everything)and anything with milk based products..Basically I was eating jello and drinking water all day (taking vitamins too) she still was terrible, terrible, terrible...Finally my pediatrician told me to stop breastfeeding for 4 weeks and within the first couple of days she was an angel... She slept through the nite for the first time and never cried till she was really 12 months old then...For me she was allergic to the breastmilk (which is very rare some say it is not true, but they did not have my daughter) after weeks of trying everything we just stopped and put her on special formula...
The quick fix for the moment for us was the blowdryer also..That would help for about 30 minutes...
Good luck,
Meg

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J.R.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi well being hispanic and coming from a stong mexican background we tend to use a lot of herbal remedies for that kind of stuff. I have a 5 month old who sufferd from colic the first few months of her little life. I tried everything and I found this to work and my Great grandma gave me the recipe that cures colic.
Try chomimle tea, (Te de manzania) you can buy the little box and walmart or Foodcity has one in a gold box that is the best. Just boil a little and let it cool. Put some in a bottle and give to the baby. It wont harm the baby at all, Its also good to sooth a fussy baby.

Another really good one is Sperimint tea, (Te de Yerba buena)
That alone works miricales. In a few minutes the pain is gone and baby is gone back to normal.

**Try not to put sugar or honey in it, and only give the baby about 1/2 ounce to one ounce. *****

Another good remedie for Kiss bumps or a fussy baby is Boil Lettuce leaves in a pot then let the water cool dowwn to wear baby can touch the water and not cry. Bath baby with the lettuce water. For some reason it calms baby. With this my baby was sleeping through out the night at 3 weeks. Plus it got rid of the kiss bumps (baby acne) in 1 day. Try this at night around 8 or what evertime you guys go to sleep.

****I know this sounds funny but it really works. I wrot the tea names in spanish so you can write them down and take the paper to Food city and show it to some one so they can help you look for the right thing.

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L.R.

answers from Tucson on

Hi....my son had colic too. The thing that saved us was a book called THE HAPPIEST BABY ON THE BLOCK, by Dr. Harvey Karp. You can check it out of the public library. In it he talks about the five S: swaddling, side/stomach position, shhh sounds, swinging and sucking.

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S.B.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi G.,
I don't have personal experience with this situation, but numerous girlfriends' of mine have. Three of them give there children zantac for acid reflex. They've said doctors are now saying that's what causes "colic". I'm not a doctor but maybe it's something to at least check out! Good Luck and hang in there!
S.

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S.M.

answers from Albuquerque on

I recently read that colic has finally been determined to be the inability to shift from awake to sleepy or vice versa, which causes crying. The gas is caused by the crying. This explanation makes sense to me since I noticed when my daughter would cry for a while, she would get gas. I could hearthe bubbles going down into her stomach as she cried.
I would still suggest that you stay away from gassy foods, but I think you aren't giving your son gas.

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H.C.

answers from Phoenix on

G. S. ----
Well, you work in a ped's office so they have probably checked him out physically but I still will give some suggestions. You may have already thought of or did or heard but any info is helpful is how I feel. My brother's daughter cried from birth to about 9 months straight(literally). They would use the vacuum to help sooth her (plug it in, turn it on and let it run). They took her for car rides. They let her sleep in her car seat and at night just sat her by their bed in her car seat (it's the only way she'd sleep). She just grew out of it eventually. I know it is soooo hard to let your baby cry but sometimes she would let her cry; but for no more than 20 minutes especially at this age (1month). I think at about 4 months you can start letting them cry themselves to sleep (with checking on them every 5-10 minutes for comfort). But other than that, you just hang in there. I know it's hard. It was very h*** o* my sister in law and brother. But they got through it. Also by no means does this say what kind of personality your son will have (just in case anyone has said anything to you). My sister in law and brother heard nasty comments all the time about their daughter. And she is so sweet, caring, kind and MELLOW. We all laugh about how she was a baby because she is opposite now!
Another thing: Have you checked to see if your baby has a milk allergy? My son had one. I still breastfead, I was just on a strict diet. No soy, milk or beef. I had to read every label and if contained anything that was soy, milk or beef related---I could not eat it. And you know what, he stopped crying and throwing up all the time. I know your baby isn't throwing up but I don't want you to over look the milk allergy thing. On that strict diet I lost all my baby weight + 10lbs so that was a nice perk too. I think the milk allergy/"sensitive stomach thing" it's overlooked alot with babies.
Now in retrospect, my brother wishes they would have done something reagarding his daughter's food intake because they think that may have been an added culprit. I breastfead my son until he was 7 months old and then switched him to Alimentum. It's expensive ($25 a can) but it worked. You may want to look into that. There are two kinds (nutragamim and alimentum---I am not spelling those right) but you problaby know what they are or your doctor will know.
Well I hope I helped or at least let you know you are not alone. Best of luck to you and your baby Nathan.

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T.S.

answers from Albany on

All three of my children were colic, and by our third child we finally made progress. Each of our children had a different start time, and it usually associated with the time my husband arrived home. More times than not it started about 30 minutes before he arrived. I kind of noticed that things are more energized in the evening. Not just with the activity of his arrival, but dinner, bed time, sheesh even the commercials on TV start getting louder.

So, about 30 minutes prior to his trigger time I'd take him to our room, lights out, nurse him and put him in his swing when he fell asleep. Every time he woke up I'd nurse him and put him back to sleep. Essentially I made his bedtime EARLY. I simply just removed all major stimulation from him. It worked like a charm. Sure, he was up fairly early in the morning, but I preferred an early morning with a happy baby to a late night with a hysterical one.

With each of our children we were told that allergies are usually not the case for child who is colic. If they are allergic to something they would be affected by it all day, not just at a certain time in the evening. Granted I have also learned that most Dr's rely on guess work when it comes to pregnancy and babies. Good luck!

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S.H.

answers from Phoenix on

I could not agree more with Christy. That is exactly what I went thru with my son. At about 2 months it got to the point where I would hate the night time becaue I knew the screaming would scream from 6 pm until 10 pm. My doctor prescribed liquid Zantac twice a day and he had to drink rice cereal in his milk. The rice cereal in the formula would help to hold the food down so that he would not through it up and get the nutients he needs. It would weight the food down and the Zantac would take care fo the acid reflux. Oh my God. I swear by this stuff. My son is such a happy, pleasant lilttle baby. I can't stress enough but get to your pediatrician as quickly as possible. If they have never heard of this at least ask them if you can give it a try.

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J.L.

answers from Tucson on

I used Hyland's colic tablets, from the same people who make those great teething tablets, with my daughter and they worked great. I got them at New Life Health Center. Here's the web address if you want to check them out http://www.hylands.com/products/colic.php Good Luck.

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N.S.

answers from Phoenix on

Ask your baby's dr about gripe water-it's all natural and safe for any age. It seemed to help my son a lot and he had lots of tummy problems-I am nursing and supplementing with formula(due to health issues that decreased my milk supply) Also try a warm wash cloth on his belly. Gripe water you can get at Sprout's-it's by baby bliss. Most dr's have heard of it and would ok most children to use it. I hope this helps! Best of luck-take care!

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E.Y.

answers from Santa Fe on

Hello G.,
When my daughter was about 1 month old she started crying every evening from about 5:00pm until around 9:00 or 10:00pm. I totally understand how hard it is when you just don't know what to do. You may have already tried giving him a pacifier but if you haven't you may want to try it. I finally gave my daughter one after a couple of weeks of trying everything else. It stopped the crying and calmed her down. My husband was so against using one that we hadn't even tried it before then but apparently she just really needed to suck. Another thing that helped her for brief amounts of time was holding her on my arm with her facing down. Good luck and hang in there.
E.

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A.G.

answers from Albuquerque on

Hi, my son is 5 yrs old now and he was colic for the first 6 months. It was tough. We also tried everything and nothing worked...we had to work through it. We switched formula, but that didn't help either. Our Ped told us that there isn't really anything they can do for true colic. My husband and I just took turns with him so that we wouldn't get too stressed out. He eventually just stopped. We tried the gas drops and all the "remedies" too.

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J.C.

answers from Chicago on

I would recommend switching to a formula for colic babies, Infamil has one and Similac does also. Pump in the meantime so your breastmilk does not dry up. I would try it for a week or 2 and see if the baby still crys. It could just be the breastmilk.

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S.H.

answers from Phoenix on

My son would cry from about 6pm to 10 pm every night, we tried everything as well! Like another poster said it seemed to follow the dad getting home, dinner being made and the excitement of the other kids playing with my hubby. To this day ( he is 13 months) I put him in his quite room while I make dinner and the other kids get their daily rough houseing done with their dad or he just gets cranky! Any way, my son had acid reflux really bad. I wish I could say the Zantac worked or changing my diet while breastfeeding worked but it didnt. I ending up using lactose free formula and being one now he is on Soy Milk. Poor guy couldnt tolerate his B-day cake even...up all night (but boy did he like it) for him it just was something we could not fix, it lasted about 3 months. he is still very sensitve to his surroundings. I sure hope something helps for you little one, I guess my only suggestion is check your surrounding, try to keep it peaceful and relaxing....I KNOW EASIER SAID THAN DONE :) It really was the only thing that worked for me.

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S.F.

answers from Albuquerque on

Hi G. congratulations on your new baby!! I have a 10 month old son and he was colic also. The best thing for you to do is stay away from all caffine, spicy foods (chile), dairy products. My doctor told me that with all of these you can reduce some colic but the main thing is you just have to have patience!! It will go away but in the mean time you can help both you and your baby out by cutting out on some of the foods I mentioned above!! I hope that this helps you out cause it really helped me out in the same situation you are in now!! If it does not help just ask your pediatrician for more advice!! Take care and good luck...S.

A.B.

answers from Phoenix on

You can buckle him into his car seat and sit it on your dryer and turn it on. Sometimes the vibration and sound can help. Just make sure you stay close to him. My son had colic, so I definately understand what you're going through. Good luck.

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J.R.

answers from Albuquerque on

Dr. Phil had Dr. Sears on a wk or so ago & he said that colic was just another way that drs. say they don't know whats wrong, and that you should camp out in your drs office until they figure it out. Easier said than done! They also mentioned it might have something to do with a milk allergy. Since you're breast-feeding - YOU should take dairy out of your diet & see if that helps! My 1st child cried all the time too.

Also someone mentioned Spearmint tea. I know Peppermint tea is good for stomach aches. And hopefully you already know this, but NEVER give a child under 1 yr old honey. It can cause botulism. Good Luck!

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S.C.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi G.,

I agree with Amy's advice. I used to work for a chiropractor. He would always tell us how he would adjust pregnant women up until they gave birth and then he would adjust the babies after they were born. Also my sisters had taken their 6 and 7 month old babies in to get adjusted and they don't cry as much or get sick as much anymore.

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A.M.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi G.,
My son had colic as well and the ONLY thing that worked for me was Gripe Water. You can get it just about anywhere now, I saw it in Frys just yesterday! It is an herbal medication, I was unsure of it at first, but I have an Uncle that is a pharmacist and he said that there is nothing in it that can hurt babies. Just make sure you follow the directions and don't give too much, because then it can have the reverse affect and make it worse!!! I deeply feel for you....I would get into such a stressed out mess when my son would cry like that!! My husband works nights so needless to say I was left to deal with it all on my own. The only other peice of advice I can give you on this is to walk away!!!! My pediatrician told me as long as he was crying he was breathing!!! I didn't do it for the whole time but definatly long enough for me to re-charge and be able to deal with it again!! My son is now 18 months, and I would say he grew out of it about 4 months..I'm sure that sounds like eternity to you right now, but you will look back on it and think it just wasn't that bad!!:) Oh and one more thing....he feeds off you and if you are tense and frustrated he can feel that. Have someone else take over every once in awhile... and if you don't have that available to you (because I didn't), take my advice and walk away for a bit!! Hope that helps.
A.

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C.M.

answers from Phoenix on

my daughter had infintile colic and your situation sounds the same as mine

her dr put her on levison drops

they worked wonders after about a month colic stopped completely I now wonder where the yrs went since then she is now 14 yikes:)

G.M.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi G.,
My son had Colic when he was a baby as well. We had him on Enfamil Formula and we had to switch to the Prosobee formula by Enfamil for colicky babies. Breastfeeding I know you can't do much other than watch your diet, but before you lay your baby down for naps, or at bedtime, make sure you burp him real good before hand and don't lay him down until he burps. All the best, G.

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P.N.

answers from Albuquerque on

Have you tried taking a infant message class. Learning how to message my gassy baby really helped. Good luck.

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S.F.

answers from Tucson on

Oh my goodness I know your pain. My daughter had colic till she was six months old. What worked for us was closing the bathroom door and turning the shower on HOT and letting the bathroom steam up and stay in there as long as you and the baby can stand and it seem's to help. Also there is something called paragoric not sure is I spelled that right but it's an old remedy that work's really well the only thing is finding a doctor to give it to you cause it has a little opum in it but it works wonders for baby's belly pains. Hope you find a fix for your baby. Good luck!!

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C.

answers from Phoenix on

Get him to your peditrician ASAP! He probably doesn't have colic...he probaby has acid reflux. I found out my daughter had acid reflux after 5 months of non-stop crying. I was going crazy! I finally read an article about colic. It said that 60 % of babies diagnosed with colic actually have acid reflux. Your doctor can give him liquid zantac. After my daughter started the zantac she was better right away! Some symptoms of acid reflux in babies are a lot of crying, if you lay him down and he starts screaming about 20 minutes later (because the acid is backing up in his esophagus), when you pick him up he may burp really hard, he may spit up an entire feeding or just spit up a lot.

It's also possible that your baby is getting too much iron. You could supplement with low-iron formula. Some babies have a hard time digesting iron and it gives them painful gas. Good luck! And by the way, your motherly insticts are correct...if you think something is wrong with your baby then don't let your pediatrician or anyone else give you no for an answer! Insist on getting help!

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H.N.

answers from Phoenix on

I understand all to well what you are going through. My daughter also had colic and would scream and cry for hours on end. I did have to switch her to a formula called Alimentum. We elevated the crib a little and gave her gas drops. This all helped but did not solve the problem. One thing that I did was I would use a luke warm water bottle. I would place it on my stomach and then lay her down on my stomach with the water bottle between us. I would lay back in the chair a little and it seemed to help with some of the tummy pain for her and she would get the much need sleep and I was also able to catch a little nap too. My doctor at the time told me that the colic would only last for about 4 months. As soon as she turned 4 months the colic was gone over night. I know that it is tough but hang in there it will get better soon. Good luck to you and congrats on the new baby.

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C.K.

answers from Tucson on

I am a postpartum doula, and mother of four. I encourage my clients to check out these amazing products - and this is the link to colic help specifically: http://astore.amazon.com/motherandbabe0c-20/002-###-###-#...

If you've tried swaddling, but haven't tried the Miracle Blanket specifically, PLEASE try it - it was invented by a father of three who had colicy babies!! It has won numerous awards and is in all the media-buzz. It's GUARANTEED to work, or your money back! Also, I would encourage you to get the Happiest Baby on the Block DVD which is a total life-saver - with tips that will get your baby calm/sleeping within seconds/minutes! It enourages swaddling + 4 other techniques called the "5 S's." You can both the blanket and the DVD at the link I put in: http://astore.amazon.com/motherandbabe0c-20/002-###-###-#...

Best of luck!!!

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D.R.

answers from Tucson on

Try the Gripe Water. We had to have it shipped from England, it's nice to see that it's now available here at Fry's.
My youngest son cried for months unless he was being held and breast fed. Just try and seperate yourself from the tension and realize that he's hurting and comfort him.

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K.K.

answers from Albuquerque on

Hi, My son Is now 16 mo but he had colic for 6 mo I tried everything that people told me but nothing works. I just fought through it. Its just there little tummies are getting use to new foods. and also finish developing. My husband helped me alot with him. It will be over before you know it. Good luck.

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A.F.

answers from Phoenix on

If you go to food city, and buy this tea called manzanilla which is chamomille and boil the seasoning like tea and drain it of course let it cool down, and give it to the baby. I am full blooded mexican and this is what we used for my niece who was terribly colicky. Good Luck

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J.H.

answers from Phoenix on

We thought our son had colic and it ended up the formula needed to be soy and at night he would sleep in his carseat in the crib with the vibration on. It was hell. Then we boiled camomile hops that you find in the latin spice section at the supermarket. You boil them to a tea, cool it down and a little sugar for taste. It seemed to settle the stomach and make him sleep. The doctor said some formulas are to liquidy and some to heavy. Massage helps to, gets out any gas. The tea is calming to the tummy and helps them sleep, they used it in alot of latin countries and upright keeps the acid reflux-like symptoms from happening. hang in there, I can understand it is frustrating to hear your child cry in pain and discomfort.

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