It is always was a mystery what causes colic. There are a lot of different theories and many researches were done to find why babies have colic. Some of them point out several reasons such as:

• Babies have sensory overload, they overstimulated and overwhelmed by surrounded environment. Once they become more aware of word around them and know how to handle events in the environment (usually by 3-5months), colic goes away.
• Too little milk or breastfeeding supply problems can led to increase colic, especially during evening, when milk supply decrease.
• Immature digestive tract can lead to a lots of stomach cramps when baby pass a gas. Allergies to milk or formulas can cause colic. Especially food that breastfeeding mother eating can pass through the breast milk.
• Parent’s anxiety can also trigger colic. Some experts believe that if a parent is tense, he passes his tension unconsciously to a baby.

So, how do you know that your baby have colic?

Excessive crying, irritability, trying to pull his knees up can be symptoms of colic. Doctors usually refer this condition as “the rules of three”. Colic tends to last at least three hours a day, three days a week and three weeks in a month.

When my daughters were babies, I tried everything in order to ease colic from grape water to a late night walk outsude. By the way, if you decide to calm your baby in a stroller, please make sure you have a stable and safe stroller. Below are ten strategies that I and my husband have found to be helpful. I suggest your experimenting with them in order to find best solution for your infant.

1. Breastfeeding is recommended until baby at least six month old to prevent or ease colic. But mother should pay close attention to foods she eats because some foods, such as dairy products, coffee, chocolate and citrus fruits are gas forming ones. They should be avoided, because they can lead to colic. You can cut out these foods if you are eating a lot of them and see if baby improves over ten days. If you bottle feed your infant, try to switch to non cow milk and hypo allergic formula.

2. Try to give a baby a herbal remedy, such as Gripe water or Chamomile tea. It can help to soothe an irritable baby for several hours.

3. A baby probiotics supplements, such as Baby’s Jarro-Dophilus, can be very helpful to improve digestive function. You can add it to formula or put it on breastfeeding mother’s nipple before nursing.

4. Gentle massage is a good and effective way to calm baby and reduce pain. Try massaging your infant abdomen twice a day, no more then 15 minutes each time. You can use aromatherapy. In order to do so, dilute 1 drop of lavender or chamomile oil in 40 milliliters of carrier oil such a grape, almond or olive. Never apply essential oil without diluting, and never use it on allergic babies.

5. Sometimes homeopathic remedies can be very helpful in relieving colic spasm in babies. There are many commercial ready to use homeopathic combination medicines. One of them “Colic Tablet” by Hyland’s. Sometimes it is works better when you are buying separate homeopathic medicines according to infant’s symptoms.

6. Very effective technique is walking with the baby around your home and gently bouncing baby in your arms. Some positions are more soothing a colicky baby. Some infants like to be held stomach down along a parent’s forearm. Other prefer being upright on shoulder with pressure on their tummy and being patted on back.

7. Waking inside or outside the house with baby in carrier or sling, often very helpful. You can put baby in a travel stroller and take him for a walk outside. Fresh air and rhythmic motions can help baby to get relax and fall asleep.

8. Some babies like to be wrapped snugly in blanket. So you can use one of the many swaddling blankets. This is very comforting for some infants.

9. A warm bath is another good option to try. This can be very soothing.

10. Try to calm your a colicky baby by rhythmic rocking in your arm back and forth or side to side. Automatic baby swing or vibrating bouncer can help a lot.

In conclusion, dealing with colicky baby isn’t an easy job. Every parent should know he is not alone. Almost all infants have colic between three weeks to five months. All those techniques should help you to survive this hard time.