Calm colic

HOW TO HELP YOUR LITTLE ONE WHEN THE GRIPES STRIKE

Mums and dads dread the word colic. It suggests an unhappy baby, in lots of pain, plus lots of heart rending crying – and of course, sleepless nights for all.

WHAT IS COLIC?

Unfortunately nobody really knows what colic is – and of course until you can properly understand a condition, it’s hard to treat or cure it. Theories are that your baby finds it hard to tolerate proteins in your milk (your dietician may suggest you avoid dairy for a time), that it may be trapped wind in the intestine that causes pain or that there’s some other digestive problem. To make it easier to diagnose, medics have agreed that a period of continued crying for more than three hours over three or more days a week for three weeks in a row is called colic.