COLIC TREATMENTS

Medications do not cure colic. Doctors sometimes recommend simethicone (Mylicon Drops) to relieve gas pain, but generally advise parents to take a practical approach to the problem.

Gently massaging the baby's back can release a trapped gas bubble, and holding the baby in a sitting position can help prevent air from being swallowed during feedings. Bottle-fed babies can swallow air if nipple holes are either too large or too small.

Nipple-hole size can be checked by filling a bottle with cold formula, turning it upside down, and counting the number of drops released when it is shaken or squeezed. A nipple hole that is the right size will release about one drop of formula every second.

Babies should not be fed every time they cry, but feeding and burping a baby more often may alleviate symptoms of colic. A bottle-fed baby should be burped after every ounce, and a baby who is breastfeeding should be burped every five minutes.

When cow's milk is the source of the symptoms, bottle-fed babies should be switched to a soy milk hydrolyzed protein formula. A woman whose baby is breastfeeding should eliminate dairy products from her diet for seven days, then gradually reintroduce them unless the baby's symptoms reappear.

Since intolerance to foods other than cow's milk may also lead to symptoms of colic, breastfeeding women may also relieve their babies' colic by eliminating from their diet:

• coffee
• tea
• cocoa
• citrus
• peanuts
• wheat
• broccoli and other vegetables belonging to the cabbage family from their diet

Rocking a baby in a quiet, darkened room can prevent overstimulation, and a baby usually calms down when cuddled in a warm, soft blanket.

Colicky babies cry less when they are soothed by the motion of a wind-up swing, a car ride, or being carried in a parent's arms. Pacifiers can soothe babies who are upset, but a pacifier should never be attached to a string.

A doctor should be notified if a baby who has been diagnosed with colic:

• develops a rectal fever higher than 101°F (38.3°C)
• cries for more than four hours
• vomits
• has diarrhea or stools that are black or bloody
• loses weight
• eats less than normal

COLIC ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS

Applying gentle pressure to the webbed area between the thumb and index finger of either hand can calm a crying child. So can gently massaging the area directly above the child's navel and the corresponding spot on the spine. Applying warm compresses or holding your hand firmly over the child's abdomen can relieve cramping.

Teas made with chamomile (Matricaria recutita), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), peppermint (Mentha piperita), or dill (Anethum graveolens) can lessen bowel inflammation and reduce gas. A homeopathic combination called "colic" may be effective, and constitutional homeopathic treatment can help strenthen the child's entire constitution.