Colic: 10 Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night - part 6
Digestible Formulas
Cow's milk is obviously not a good thing to feed your baby and certainly not to be used as a substitute for breast milk because babies cannot fully digest cow's milk. Feed your baby formula if you don’t want to breast feed or can’t. In truth, you should make sure that you talk with your pediatrician before choosing a formula because there are several types to choose from these days. Let’s look at some of them now which include:
· Milk-based formula: This is the most commonly sold kind of formula on the market today and about 80 percent of formula-fed infants drink it. It is based on cow’s milk but it has been changed in such a way that makes it safer for the baby and more easily digestible for infants. Most milk-based formulas are fortified with iron.
· Soy-based formulas: Some babies have milk allergies or are lactose intolerant which is found in milk-based formulas. When this happens, pediatricians will often recommend feeding your baby a formula that has a soy base instead of the milk.
· Specialized formulas: Sometimes babies who are born premature or are born with a metabolic disorder will require a specialized formula that is specifically designed for their needs.
Formulas come in several different types of forms. Some are very convenient while others are cheaper; these formulas include these specific conveniences:
· Ready-to-use - This is the most expensive formula out there, but it's also the most convenient and easy to use. This formula needs nothing from you but you’re your ability to open it. The formula comes in 4-ounce and 8-ounce sterilized, disposable bottles that you can use once and throw away. All you have to do is attach a sterilized nipple and it’s good to go.
· Ready-to-pour - This liquid formula comes in different-sized cans and you need only to pour it into a sterilized bottle and attach a sterilized nipple.
· Concentrated/powder - This is the cheapest type of formula and is available in either a liquid or powder form. You will get packages and cans that are a lot like evaporated milk cans. These concentrated formulas are prepared by you when you dilute the powder or liquid in a sterilized bottle with sterilized water and then attach a sterilized nipple. When you choose to use this formula, measure the concentrate and the added water carefully as per the instructions, because you want to make sure your baby is getting the right amount of nutrients.
Prepared formula that is leftover can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before it needs to be thrown away. Most babies are happy with formula that is given to them at room temperature. If your baby prefers warmed-up formula, heat the bottle with the formula already in it by running it under hot water and not heated in the microwave as this can cause hot spots in the formula. Even though the bottle may be cool in your hand, but the formula inside may be hot enough to burn your baby's mouth and throat.
There are three types of baby bottles on the market today, which are: glass, plastic and plastic with disposable plastic liners. Glass bottles are very durable but they are a bit heavier and they can break. Plastic bottles are also very sturdy and are lighter which makes them more portable. Bottles with liners are convenient and help to seal in the formula which makes for less air pockets while drinking, but they can also be expensive to use as you must refill the liners.
You can choose several styles of nipples in either rubber or silicone. You should buy new nipples approximately every three months. As your baby gets older, you will have to buy nipples with larger holes.
Bottles and nipples that your baby uses have to be clean. For that reason, it is recommended that they be sterilized properly before each use. If you have tap water that is chlorinated in your home all you have to have to do is put the bottles and nipples in the regular dishwasher or use dishwashing liquid and hand wash them with the tap water.
If you don't have chlorinated water in your home, you have to boil the bottles and nipples in a large pot of water for about five to 10 minutes. You don’t want to boil it for too long because you may melt the nipples. Below are some tips on how to make feeding time the best it can be when you bottle feed:
· Wash your hands before doing anything.
· Feed your baby in a relaxing place.
· If your baby is not really hungry, take a little extra time to change your baby's diaper as being clean will make the baby more comfortable.
· Find a comfortable position and support your back.
· If your baby is fussing a lot, calm him down first if you can. Trying to feed a cranky baby may lead to your baby getting a tummy-ache.
· Cuddling with your baby is great time to get in some skin-to-skin contact.
· Burp your baby when he is about halfway through the formula in the bottle. Basically, you just need to burp your baby after every 2 ounces eaten.
Colic Baby Bootcamp - Parent Survival Tips
by Cherie StirewaltSurviving a baby with colic truly deserves an award of some sort. The relentless screaming can really drive you to the edge.
Unfortunately for the parents of a colic baby, most of the focus of surviving is usually geared towards how to relieve the suffering for your baby. But, what about you’re suffering?
Here are some tips on HOW to keep your sanity while enduring a fit of colic.
1. Buy a baby monitor with lights that indicate the level of noise coming from your baby. Take this monitor with you everywhere, put it on mute and get as far away from the screaming as possible. Physically check on your baby every now and then to make sure everything is alright. When the levels on the lights stop dancing, chances are your baby has calmed down.
2. Put on headphones. Listen to music. Keep the above monitor with you to determine when baby has calmed down.
3. Take a shower. The warm water will relax you, and the noise will drown out the ear-piercing crying.
4. Go for a walk. Exercise is great for alleviating tension and the motion might settle the baby down.
5. If possible, find a sitter and leave. Go shopping, run errands, go work out, go for a walk. Get some distance between you and the baby. Don’t leave the baby unattended. Make sure you have a sitter first!
6. Call friends or family on the telephone. Don’t bottle up your frustration. Let it out. Complain to your hearts content. Your friends and family will understand and you will feel better.
7. Do something therapeutic with your hands. Paint your fingernails, color in a coloring book, do some housework. Do anything that diverts your attention away from the crying and towards something constructive.
8. Vacuum. The vacuum cleaner will drown out the screams coming from the baby. Also, the frequency of white noise output by a vacuum is particularly effective in calming a colicky baby.
9. Surf the internet. Look up ways to calm a colic baby!
10. Keep telling yourself the colic will eventually go away. Take it day by day and know there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. Colic does not last forever!
Remember, you are not an incompetent parent if you’ve done everything possible to relieve your baby’s colic and you need to step away from the situation for a while. This simply makes you human.
Family Guide to Colic
Colic is hard on the baby and the parents, but it can be equally difficult to the siblings of the baby. If your infant’s siblings are teenagers, they can often leave the house or simply occupy themselves when dealing with the colicky baby gets to be too much for them. However, when the baby’s siblings are young or toddlers as well, this can be far more difficult.
This section will help you to make colic easier for the other children in the household to live with your colicky baby. We all know how hard it is for young children to meet a new baby, but if the baby is colicky it can produce a great deal of resentment. Here are some tips for making all of these awkward transitions easier for the siblings of colicky babies. Try the following:
· Take the baby into another room so that your other children may avoid dealing with it.
· Give your other child an activity that allows him to remain busy during the colic episode
· Offer your child a reward after each episode such as stickers
· Take special time out of each day to be with the other child so that he doesn’t feel left out or resentful
· Let the older child participate in the soothing period for the baby, such as by running the vacuum as this will help strengthen the bond between the siblings,
· When the baby calms down, have a treat with the other sibling or share a moment with them
· If you choose to read to your baby, let the older child choose the story book so that you can read to both children
· Take the baby for a drive with the older sibling and stop by to get some ice cream or something.
· Take both children for a walk if the weather is permitting. You can go to the park and sooth your colicky baby while the older sibling plays with the other kids
Summary
Anyone that has had a baby, knows that the worst sound that you can hear is them crying. Although everyone knows that all newborns cry and show some fussiness, it is also clear that when a child who is basically healthy cries for more than 3 hours straight during the process of a day, it is more than likely colic that is causing it.
Since these days it is estimated that up to 25% of all babies have colic. It usually starts between the 3rd and 6th week after they are born, and goes away on its own by the time the baby is somewhere around 3 months old. If the baby is still crying to the extreme after that time, chances are that some sort of health problem may be the problem instead.
Here are some of the things that you have learned about colic in this guide. These things are:
· Colicky babies generally have a healthy sucking reflex and a really good sense of appetite and are otherwise healthy and growing well. Sick babies may seem to be colicky but they won't eat very well and they won't have the same strong sucking reflex.
· Colicky babies really enjoy being cuddled and handled. Sick babies are usually uncomfortable when they are handled.
· Colicky babies may spit up a bit, but if your baby is actually vomiting and/or losing weight something is very wrong and this is not a symptom of colic.
· Colicky babies usually have normal stools. If your baby is hard to soothe and has diarrhea or if you see blood in the stool, call your doctor.
· You can use gripe water, vibration bassinets and bouncers to relieve colicky babies
· The do’s and don’ts of dealing with colic episodes
· How to properly feed a baby so as to avoid colic
· How to cope for the parents and siblings
· The best items to help you sooth colic episodes
· How to make sleep and nighttime easier for the baby and you!
This all being said, you should have a better idea of trying to decipher if your child actually has colic and not a more serious problem. You should call your doctor if…..
· You are afraid that you are about to harm your baby and/or you can’t get any one to help you.
· Your baby has been shaken, has a change in his or her level of consciousness, or gasps, weezes or has signs of severe difficulty breathing.
Call your health professional immediately if your baby:
· Cries in an odd way for a very unusual length of time.
· Has not been diagnosed with colic but cries excessively and also has other symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, fever, or blood or mucus in the stool.
Call your health professional and schedule an appointment if:
· Your baby is not gaining weight properly.
· Your baby has no symptoms for it other than crying, but you want to check for health problems just in case.
· You have tried to comfort the baby following the mehtods in this guide repeatedly and have not been able to console your baby.
· Your baby seems to be acting differently, even though you can't identify exactly what concerns you.
BOOKS & RESOURCES
The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer by Harvey Karp
Buy new: $14.00 $11.20 Used & new from $6.88
This BOOK WILL help you soothe your fussy baby Tricks and tips to get your baby to sleep more at night Medical problems that can mimic colic
Heartbeat Musical Therapy 1 by Brahms and others and Various
Used & new from $7.99
Online Baby Video Diary -- Easily save & share every colicky moment http://www.stashspace.com/
Dr. Brown's 8 Oz Natural Flow Wide Neck Bottle, 3 Pack by Dr. Brown's
Health & Personal Care
Buy new: $13.99
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth (Paperback - April 12, 1999)
Books
Buy new: $14.95 $10.17 Used & new from $7.25
You can assume that your baby is getting sufficient sleep. But if your baby cries too much or has colic, you might assist Mother Nature with this book
Itsy Bitsy Yoga: Poses to Help Your Baby Sleep Longer, Digest Better, and Grow Stronger by Helen Garabedian
Buy new: $16.00 $10.88 Used & new from $7.00
Bitsy Yoga can promote better sleep, improve digestion, ease gas pain and colic
Helping Your Child Sleep Through the Night by Joanne Cuthbertson and Susanna Schevill
Buy new: $12.95 $11.01
TO FOUR MONTHS Welcome, New Baby Getting on the Right Track How to Help Your Baby
Twelve Hours' Sleep by Twelve Weeks Old: A Step-by-Step Plan for Baby Sleep Success by Suzy Giordano and Lisa Abidin
Buy new: $18.95 $12.89 Used & new from $5.99
Dr. Brown's Natural Flow Newborn Feeding Set by Dr. Brown's
Health & Personal Care
Buy new: $17.99
When Your Baby Won't Stop Crying: A Parent's Guide to Colic by Tonja Krautter Buy new: $12.95 $10.36 Used & new from $6.50
When Your Baby Won't Stop Crying: A Parent's Guide to Colic by Tonja Krautter
Buy new: $12.95 $10.36 Used & new from $6.50
Baby's Bliss Gripe Water 4 oz. by Baby's Bliss
Health & Personal Care
Buy new: $11.99 $8.50 Used & new from $8.45
The Happiest Baby "Super-Soothing" Calming Sounds CD by M.D. Harvey Karp (Audio CD)
Used & new from $10.80
ONLINE DIRECTORY
This directory is here to help you find online resources for your baby’s needs. This directory is here to help you with colic and for fun I threw in a couple that have nothing to do with colic, but will still be great for baby.
1. Colief Infant Drops
A new safe & natural approach to infant colic
http://www.colief.com/
2. Halo Innovations Inc.
Dedicated to creating a healthier and safer sleeping environment for adults and children.
http://www.halosleep.com
3. Centrum Children
Children's Vitamins Wyeth Consumer Healthcare
http://www.centrum.com/childrens/index.asp
4. Cozy Crib Tent and Cozy Playyard Tent
Protect you child by keeping them securely in their crib or portable crib and by keeping unwanted pets and animals out.
http://www.ezcom.com/tots.htm
5. Tana Lucia Creations
Weighted products for special needs children with developmental delays which affect sensory input processing - patented lap weights by TLC - autism, ADD
http://www.lapweights.com
6. Play Fence
Portable child safety products from the makers of Baby Barrier Pool Safety Fence. Used indoors or out, for infants, toddlers, or pets.
http://www.playfence.com
7. Atopic & Pictogram
Fun tee-shirts for children with a food allergy. Original pictograms show the food to be avoided.
http://www.atopictogram.com
8. Butt Balm Diaper Rash Ointment
Butt Balm diaper rash ointment,natural healing creme,for,bed sores, decubitis ulcers,cure for many skin ailments and conditions.
http://butt-balm.com/
9. Colic Comfort
Stop the crying and the tears. A tape cassette like no other. The sound of a running vacuum cleaner proven to be 100% effective in hospital nurseries around the country.
http://www.coliccomfort.com
10. How to Help Your Crying Baby
Quick relief for crying babies, newborns, premature babies, fussy infants, or sleepless toddlers with our baby colic and baby sleep products.
http://www.slumbersounds.com
11. Colic Relief Formula
Babies will cry no more! Colic Relief Formula relieves the constant crying, and the inconsolable abdominal pain in babies caused by the digestive condition known as Colic
http://www.coliccure.com
12. Infant colic relief
Colic relief. The natural way to ease the pain of colic in your baby.
http://www.colic.tv
13. Snow Balm
A superior rash ointment designed to help sooth and protect against the most stubborn rash incidences, while still being gentle enough not to irritate sensitive individuals.
http://www.snowbalm.com/
14. Protect-A-Bub baby products
Once upon a time there was a mother concerned about her new baby being exposed to the harsh Australian Sun.
http://www.protect-a-bub.com.au
15. RubyStone Safety Product
Baby Monitors and Nanny Cams
http://www.rubystone.com/
16. Safe & Sound home
Safe & Sound home safety and security products to protect families, children and seniors.
http://www.123safe.com
17. Cot Life 2000 aims to eliminate cot
Provides the definitive answer to the cause of cot death (crib death, SIDS) and explains how cot death can be eliminated.
http://www.cotlife2000.com/
18. Perfectly Safe
Offering child safety products to childproof every room in your home, car, outdoors, and on the go.
http://www.perfectlysafe.com
