Baby Who Cries and Cries Non-stop for 5+hours...Colic?

I can't help but think that this poor child is confused! How does she do with taking a bottle? My son was colicky. I did the dryer trick with him, but I also used "simplynoise.com" to help him get to sleep. But it seemed to me, that by 6 months, he didn't need that anymore. I think this baby is hungry. Mom isn't giving her any baby food yet?

My first thought is tummy issue. She should probably be seen by dr. I would think it's something mom is eating that baby's tummy doesn't like.

Colic is a diagnosis of exclusion... meaning no

- ear infections
- sinus infections
- acid reflux
- lesions, perforations, or ulcers (from the reflux)
- twisted intestines
- nerve disorcers (or neuromuscular disorders)
- tumors
- broken bones
- diseases
- illnesses

about 150 things in total that cause pain....

have been found.

Crying that much... I would want a medical diagnosis. A full on exam from tip to toe. 5 hours with you and 5-7 hours with dad = 10-12 hours a day. Meaning if she's awake, she's crying. That just SCREAMS of something being wrong.

So, silly question...but has mom/dad had her checked by the ped? Could be colic. Could be something else is wrong and the little one has no other way of telling you.

Or...she could just be a tough baby. We have one of those in the family.
But I'd make sure she's totally healthy first. Would be worth mentioning the constant non stop crying, so they try to look beyond the normal 6 mos checkup stuff.

My son was this way until he was diagnosed with protein intollerance. So that's soy and milk proteins. Same thing happened with my BFF's baby and she breast fed and had to cut all soy and dairy from her diet. In both instances in a week they were like different kids. Still needy but not crying and screaming all hours of the day and night.

It is possible she has a milk allergy or some other type of food allergy. Most infants I know who did this, usually stop once they are put on a special formula, or the breastfeeding mom cuts all dairy/gluten... from their diet.

It really sounds like this baby should be given check-up by the Dr as soon as possible to make sure everything is okay.

Oh my!

My friend had a baby that cried all the time.
She took the baby to the Pediatrician.
The Doctor looked over the baby, VERY well and VERY closely from head to toe.
It was found, that a tiny blond hair, barely visible to the naked eye, was tangled and wrapped around her baby's toe... tightly, and to the point where it was now cutting into her baby's skin. The Doctor removed the hair, which was not easy because the hair was so tightly tangled on her baby's toe.
Once removed, her baby was fine.

Then, my other friend, her baby cried all the time too. By this time it was 5 months that had passed. I told her to make sure baby is latching on properly and that she is producing enough milk and to feed on demand.
Finally, she saw a Lactation Consultant. Her baby was not getting enough intake due to latch problems and she was not producing much milk. So the baby was basically ALWAYS hungry. 24/7.
Her milk would not increase etc. so then she had to supplement with Formula. BUT, since then, her baby was happy. Not crying.

Now, hopefully, that baby you watch, her parents know that too and have consulted with their Pediatrician?????

Now, since you said the baby is breastfed only. How is she feeding when she is with you or her Dad????
Does she take a bottle?
Or is she just not feeding at all?
If not, then she is probably very hungry.

Babies, need to be fed/nursed/given their bottle, on-demand. Not by a schedule.

Or have the parents tried Infant Gas drops such as Mylicon?

It is about time, they ask their Doctor if they have not done so.

My daughter would cry for hours at a time. It started at 6 weeks all of a sudden, the doctor said it was colic but I knew there was something else going on. She ended up being diagnosed with a milk intolerance. Within a few days of switching her to a soy based formula she was a completely different baby! Went from crying all day to rarely ever crying. Something you might want to look into..good luck.

My son was colicky and it only lasted for 3 months, and it was normally at the end of the day. Most babies colic is over after 3 months. I think this baby is hungry. At 6 months she should be having some solids. Mom also needs to stop drinking coffee. Does she take the bottle ok?? Is she getting enough? I found these bottles called Tommie Tippie and I swear by them for breastfed babies. I have quite a few babies that started at my center that would not take a bottle at all,and took this bottle no problem. I think that is how you spell it, check them out they are awesome.

There is something wrong with this child that needs to be addressed. Colic does not last half the day...or all of a child's waking hours. My youngest child cried this much...turns out she has Celiac disease. Once we got her (and me, still breastfeeding) on a gluten free diet, the crying (and a million other problems) literally ceased...within days.

There are so many things that it could be, though...I would definitely be taking this child to see a doctor!

Has the doctor diagnosed her with colic? That's really important. If she has not been checked and other things, like gastro problems and differential diagnosis ruled out, they are playing with fire.

Usually colic presents at a certain time of day for a certain length of time. I would venture to say that if nothing helps and she just cries, to stop trying to do the clapping and walking and carrying and all of that. Hold her, put her down when you need a break, put her in her crib when you have to go to the bathroom, put her in the swing when your arms are tired and it's time for you to eat, etc. All these machinations don't do any good and it's useless to create more and more of them to try to "distract" her. If she has colic, nothing is going to distract her.

Some babies' tummies hurt, like they are tied up in knots, and laying them down on their stomachs across your stomach or on a pillow on your lap, can help make their tummies feel a little better.

I will tell you that although you haven't mentioned how long this baby has been doing this, 6 months old is getting to be a little old for colic. By now, it should be abating. I really think that they should revisit this with the doctor pretty soon.

That doesn't sound normal to M..
If she is 6 months old and is breastfed, maybe the mom is not having enough milk. And the baby is hungry all day. How often does the mom feed her when she is around? Is it everytime the baby cries? She might be using her mom for self soothing even though she is not getting any milk and the mom thinks she is getting enough. A lactation consultant can let you know if the baby is indeed getting enough milk (based on her weight)
Do you bottle feed her? Has she started on solids? Does she drink/eat anything at all while she is with you or her dad? If she is eating/drinking just fine and is not hungry, my second guess would be that she is gassy. My son would cry a lot when he is gassy. But 5-7 hours is way too long.
I would ask the mom to consult the pediatrician about it. I am wondering if some babies can have seperation anxiety this early and this bad. My son was 6 months old when he was with a nanny first time, he didn't even realize I was gone.
I think this needs to be bought to the doctor's attention, may be some other health issues going on like reflux etc.

This may sound crazy...but it totally worked for my kids when they were colicky....THE VACuUM......turn it on and use it ...you could even put her in a carrier on you and vacuum. It totally works.

It sounds like she has gas and probably is not getting her burps out or it could be an ear infection....is she grabbing at her ears at all...? Also...what about walking in the stroller.....

Good Luck!!!

Hi, Dancer:
Check out Infant massage and infant music to
help this baby.
Good luck.
Thanks for caring.
D.

Have you tried wrapping her securely and singing to her? Put her up on your shoulder and bounce and sing. It does work sometimes, and is about the only time my singing ever was accepted. :-) How old is she? Pat her back as you sing and bounce and walk maybe. I works often and they will feel more secure. I had one with colic and nothing I did worked with her but she got over it by 3 months old. Also try being calm even if she cries as they pick up on your stress and frustration. I hope she calms down soon for both of your sakes.
You could lay her on her stomach and pat too. Have you tried that in the day when you can check on her?

she needs to start on some food-yellow veggies first-thickened w/a little rice cereal if needed-tiny amounts -build slowly to two then three times/day. next fruits, then green veggies then meat

Both my kids were similar and both diagnosed with reflux. They were put on a medicine and it helped a ton!!
Also try running the vaccum cleaner my oldest loved it and it would put her to sleep!! Good luck

If she's only breastfed, are you bottle feeding her when she's with you? Otherwise, 5 hours is a long time for no food!!

She needs to be seen by a ped, and immediately. It could be any one of the suggestions you got on here.

Suggest to the parents that it may be Acid Reflux the baby is suffering from (and yes it is suffering) but there are ways to ease it and control the pain. I found that after eating certain foods that were "just part of my diet" his reaction was worse - the doctor and I agreed that it was reflux, added a gentle formula to his diet as well as breast milk (for in case I just could not resist and I was not producing enough anyhow) and day one of the Axcid his crying days were only due to overtiredness! Yeah baby who does not sleep well!!! That is for another day another post. It turns out (according to pedi) that most babies that are colicky actually have GERD or Acid Reflux, go figure!

It could be a lot of things. The first thing that occurs to me is acid reflux (GERD).

My son was colicky/had GERD and I remember interminable hours of crying when he was between 2 and 6 months old (he outgrew the GERD). I remember doing everything I could think of, including one of my most desperate moments: breastfeeding while standing up, while bouncing lightly on the balls of my feet for about 40 minutes.... If you don't think that that is hard, try it.....

I would suggest reading up on GERD and having them call their pediatrician for an appointment. Crying for 5 to 7 hours at a time is really stressful on the baby, and of course really stress on anyone caring for the baby!

My son had severe colic- cried 8 hours a day. I tried elimination diets and all that. I finally stopped breastfeeding him around 4 1/2-5 mos, and within a few days, the crying stopped suddenly. Turns out, we found out later he had multiple food allergies (and still does). I would have never figured out everything he was allergic to on my own. Anyway, he turned into the other baby on formula. Sweet, docile, happy. I felt horrible for subjecting him to so much pain for that long. :( Maybe suggest to mom that you think it's her tummy being upset by something she is eating or drinking? Poor little baby.
What worked for me during that time is to put baby in a swing. Then turn up the white noise (TV fuzz) until he hushed. And leave it there. Also, rocking (fast) in a rocking chair while sh'ing in his ear worked too. White noise in these cases is a life saver. Hope this helps.

I had a colicky daughter, but colic - as I understand it - should end by around 12 weeks. A 6-month old crying that much is not colicky, something must be bothering her. Perhaps she is in fact hungry, or hurting in some other way. I'd get her checked out asap.