Colic Part 2

Now I can't tell you what will work for you if your child has colic but I will tell you what worked (sometimes) for us.

When Everlyn was very little, the only thing that would soothe her was being outside, night or day it didn't matter, with a steady stream of background noise. I would usually walk her out back of our apartment so she could hear the noises from the AC unit. I had to have her wrapped in a blanket and cuddled in my arms even if It was 80 degrees out and I was sweating buckets. I would have to bounce her slightly when I walked and I couldn't stop moving. It was make or break getting her inside the apartment once she fell asleep in my arms. She would either wake up and scream and we would have to start the process all over, or she would allow me to put her into her crib to sleep.

When she started getting older and was not quite as colicky, when she would get into a screaming fit the only thing to get her to stop was distracting her from her screaming with noise and lights in front of her face (we used a light-up piano toy) and once she was distracted from her own screams, it would allow me to slip a bottle into her mouth without her fussing. Once she took the bottle she would calm down and doze off.

Every baby book out there says not to feed a baby to get them to fall asleep, well that was the only thing that helped calm her down enough to sleep so we did what we had to. She still needs a bottle to fall asleep and I'm sure it will be hell when we have to wean her off bottles, but when you have a colic baby, the rules don't apply. You will do anything to get your baby to stop screaming and sleep. To give her peace and to give you and daddy peace.

Using a pacifier also helps. Once she was used to having it, it could help make stressful situations a little less stressful. I've noticed that she does better with strangers now when she has her paci. It gives her another way to soothe herself.

Along with the pacifier, Everlyn became very attached to one particular blanket, and having that around in stressful situations or times she may get tired really helps. Stuffing her face into her blanket helps comfort her. This is the same blanket I would wrap her in while walking her outside.