4 Techniques To Avoid Colic In Children

Colic is one of the most common health problems in healthy babies. This is because the child’s digestive system is still immature. But you don’t have to worry, as there are some things you can do to prevent colic in children.

Babies with colic have long periods of crying throughout the day. Treating this problem can be exasperating for you. But little by little you will find a way to calm your little one.

It is important that the pediatrician examine the child  to make sure that he does not have any eating problems that cause crying. Once you rule out this possibility and it really is colic, you can try certain strategies that will help you avoid colic in children.

How to avoid colic in children?

According to this information from KidsHealth , 40% of colic cases are caused by gas . These are produced mainly for two reasons: first, because the milk, upon reaching the stomach, mixes with the gastric juices and is fermented; second, because the infant, when eating, swallows air involuntarily.

Also, the mother’s anxiety influences the child’s continued irritability. Not knowing what to do in the face of these long crying spells, she becomes distressed and tries to calm him down with unfavorable techniques. For this reason we present you 4 effective techniques to avoid colic in children.

1. Feed your baby sitting up

Once the food that the child eats is in the stomach and mixes with the gastric acids, these can return from the stomach to the esophagus and reach the mouth as vomit or return to the stomach without any effort. In both cases the baby’s quality of life is altered.

To avoid colic in children, the ideal is that they eat semi-sitting when they take from the breast or the bottle . With the latter, raise the bottle well. In this way, you prevent it from swallowing air and gases from increasing.

2. Use a bottle with regulated flow

Try to use a bottle with a flow regulating nipple . In this way, you prevent your baby from swallowing air while eating. If you breastfeed, try to take short breaks every 15 minutes and switch breasts.

After each feeding, it is necessary that you remove the gases. The correct posture to do this is to place the child on his stomach and gently pat his upper back . Clockwise massage also relieves colic.

It has been proven, as evidenced by this article published in the current Nursing journal of Costa Rica , that massage in infants helps them reduce crying and improves children’s sleep hours.

3. Take your gas out frequently

If your baby fidgets a lot while eating, cries, and lets go of the breast or bottle, help him pass gas. To remove the gases, you can follow the following steps:

• Place a towel that covers your shoulder, in case your baby expels food through his mouth.
• Put your little one on your chest and make sure his chin is resting on your shoulder.
• With one hand support his head and with the other rub his back or pat him to release the gases.

4. Put your baby to bed properly

One of the techniques to avoid colic is the way you put your baby to bed. It is believed that the little ones have to  sleep on their side supported by two pillows, one of them in front and one behind.

However, according to the evidence, babies have to sleep on their backs, since it has been shown that little ones who sleep in this position have a lower risk of suffering from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), compared to what they sleep on their stomach or side.

Also,  l or more recommended for your baby and colic is raising the head of his crib to 45 degrees . If you notice that your child has a lot of trouble sleeping or suffocates frequently, call his pediatrician.

Regarding colic in children …

The high-pitched and inconsolable crying becomes more intense over the hours, and is accompanied by bent legs, abdominal distension, and clenched fists. These signs point to your baby having colic.

However, remember that it is normal for this to happen, especially during the first three months of life. However, to avoid colic in children, you can follow some of the recommendations that we just mentioned, such as feeding them semi-sitting, using a bottle with regulated flow so as not to let air in while they eat. Thus, you will be more aware of him.

In any case, if you have doubts about it, it is always advisable to consult with the child’s pediatrician for guidance on this and other issues related to your baby.