Gripe Water
If your baby is suffering from colic you are likely way too tired to think of anything else, but how to stop the baby from crying. You likely already know colic does not have one particular treatment that can cure it. Instead, there are many different treatments that might help like the things I mentioned in this guide.
There is one product that seems to work wonders for all colicky babies that use it and that is gripe water. As soon as you try gripe water for the first time you might be amazed at how well it works at soothing a screaming baby. However, it is really just some water and herbs that together seem to make a remedy for colic that actually works.
The Europeans developed Gripe water and it has been famous ever since. As new parents find how well it works there will surely be a higher demand for this product than there is now. When all the other remedies and medications don’t help your baby the way they could, you can turn to gripe water.
This is simply water mixed with herbs that are designed to help the intestines relax so that a baby can pass gas easier and it really helps to soothe the stomach. The water inside of the bottle is very sterile and fortified with tummy calming herbs like catnip, fennel, chamomile, peppermint, ginger, and a few others.
These herbs are readily available in herbal tea remedies that are frequently given to babies, however I must mention when Gripe water is used the results are just as good and you don’t have to prepare it yourself and worry about doses in the mixture.
The herbs in gripe water work for baby colic because the herbs are used to clear up a tummy ache. They make the entire digestive system function better and feel better, too. Sometimes, your doctor will prescribe antacids, gas meds, and reflux medications to help out with a baby’s colic, but they don’t always work. No matter what the cause is for colic, your baby will respond well to the gripe water.
When you try feeding your baby gripe water you can mix it with your next formula bottle if he doesn’t like it outright. Few babies can tell the difference in taste and will eat without knowing that their feelings of gas and colic disappear after eating. Breast feeding mothers having a hard time getting baby to try the Gripe water can try a spoonful in the baby’s mouth. You can also place a little bit on a pacifier for shorter episodes or as a quick nighttime aid.
The main benefit of gripe water for treating colic is that it is homeopathic and completely natural, so it is not harmful to the baby. Frequently this remedy works wonders for colicky babies, but it won’t be the magic solution for all babies. So, if it works for your baby that is great.
Complete Ingredients in Gripe Water
Ginger
Ginger is a natural safe and effective ingredient, which has been used by parents for centuries, to relieve nausea and other digestive problems.
Fennel
Fennel is another natural safe and effective treatment for stomach upset, hiccups, gas and other conditions with a century’s long history of human use. It is recommended by many herbalists. Fennel seed oil is especially effective for relaxing a baby's intestinal tract.
Sodium Bicarbonate
Sodium Bicarbonate is a common ingredient in food (baking soda), which is commonly used to decrease stomach acidity. Therefore, it is useful for easing the discomforts of colic, which is often associated with stomach discomfort. (14 mg per dose with a maximum 6 doses a day).
Fructose
Although today many health experts recommend less use of all forms of sugar, they also agree that where sugar is consumed in limited quantities, fructose (a natural sugar in fruits and honey) is a better choice than processed sucrose (table sugar).
Please note that this ingredient information was brought by http://www.colichelp.com/shop/gripewater.html. Also, gripe water no longer contains alcohol as was previously believed and is not harmful or addictive to the baby.
Colic Drops
Colic Drops are a great way of trying to find a solution to your baby’s constant crying. Many people realize that their baby’s colic can be linked to lactase enzyme deficiency which, when added to milk, allows babies with lactase deficiency to be able to drink milk without suffering for it.
By breaking down most of the lactose that occurs in baby’s feeding sessions by adding lactase enzyme drops to the milk a number of hours before feeding, the hours of crying can be significantly reduced.
Colic drops also work to make the transition to sleep much easier for the baby and you. Colic drops also help to let the baby sleep longer than he normally would. It is a great way to get the colic to be less painful for you both.
White Noise
White noise is basically just a combination of all of the different frequencies of sound that you can find. If it’s easier, you can think of white noise as 20,000 tones all playing at the same time. Because white noise contains all frequencies, it is frequently used to mask other sounds.
If you are in a hotel and voices from the room next-door are heard in that muffled tone and you try to drown it out with a fan, this sound the fan makes gives out a good amount of white noise. Think of it this way, 1,000 people talking together sounds a lot like white noise because you can’t single any of their voices out enough to understand what any of them are saying.
When a colicky baby hears this type of indistinguishable noise, it reminds him of the womb and is very soothing in getting the baby to calm down during an episode. I have included a few CD’s that offer white noise that can soothe your colicky baby.
Vacuum Cleaner For Colic CD $14.99
Hair Dryer For Colic $14.99
Happiest Baby On The Block CD $14.99
Hush Baby CD