Did you know that September is Colic Awareness Month. It’s something that you probably wouldn’t even think about until you have a new baby, but if your baby does suffer from colic it can make life miserable for all involved! There is no right or wrong answer to how to solve colic, but sharing experiences with other can really help and that’s why Infacol have developed Colic Awareness Month in September as a time for parents, carers and healthcare professionals to swap stories of soothing crying babies and to offer support, solidarity and information to anyone that might be going through a rough first few months with their newborn.
If you are not sure what Colic is all about – according to NHS Choices, colic is the name for excessive, frequent crying in a baby who otherwise appears to be healthy. It affects 1 in 5 babies and tends to begin when a baby is a few weeks old. Normally, it stops at 4 months of age but can go on until a baby is 6 months old. Other signs that a baby might be suffering from colic include when that baby clenches their fists, draws up their legs and goes red in the face. One of the theories is that it is caused by trapped wind which is very uncomfortable for babies.
Dear New Parent going through Colic,
If your baby cries a lot, and the first few months are not going as smoothly as you may have imagined, you are not alone.
If your baby is hard to settle, it’s not your fault.
When you see babies sleeping peacefully in their pram tops and yours just wants to be held and wails when you try to place them down in their pram or Moses basket, it’s not because of anything you’ve done.
Some babies are more difficult, and really that just comes down to luck.
Colic can affect babies whether you are first time parents or already have a house full.
Do whatever you find to make life easier, and don’t worry about what other mums and dads are doing or whether your baby fits into the typical routine.
It’s a well worn cliche, but it really is true that the days are long but the years are short. In just a few months, the difficulties will all be a blur fading into a haze.
Be kind to yourself.
Share the load, and make sure your partner is taking an equal share where possible. Accept help from friends and family if you have that option.
Focus on the positives as well. With my postnatal group when some of us were finding the early days hard, one of the mums came up with the idea of sharing 3 positive things a day with each other. When you’re having a rubbish day, making an effort to find the positive really can help.
Speaking of postnatal groups, having a group of mums with babies of the same age can be really invaluable, especially if you find a friend or two who’s having a similar time with their baby and is willing to be open and share the tough times together, as well as the good times.
My youngest was a very ‘high maintenance’ baby. She wasn’t the easy baby I was expecting who would just be put down to sleep peacefully like her brothers. I found that she was happiest sleeping upright on my shoulder in the early days, so for the first few months that’s what we did. I gave up the idea of 7pm bed time routines, and just kept her dozing on my shoulder while I watched Netflix. We ate so many dinners one handed in those days, but time went by and she slowly started to get a bit more settled and now she is 2, it’s all a distant memory.
Once your baby starts to get a bit more active, sitting up right and holding up their head, the early colicky symptoms do normally start to fade a bit and things normally do get much easier in that respect.
Sending hugs and solidarity
From one mum to another
xx
Giveaway
Win a bundle of cute baby goodies to mark Colic Awareness Month. For this blog post, we have joined with Infacol who are providing this lovely Baby “Bubbly Bundle” for one lucky winner – including an Izzie the Elephant cuddly toy, an
embroidered sleep suit, a muslin cloth and some Infacol, in the hope that it will go towards making those first six months a little easier!
For your chance, enter the giveaway via the Gleam widget below. Good luck!
Prizes will be provided and sent out directly by Infacol’s PR team. Giveaway ends 30/09/19
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
I’ve been very lucky and not had the issues that colic brings, but I’ve got friends who have got the end of their tether with the crying and it was so important that they had family support to get a break.
Luckily, I never had to deal with colic but Infacol definitely sounds like a lifesaver for all parents dealing with it.
On of my grandsons suffered with colic and Infacol really helped him, great giveaway
my little boy suffered with colic for a little while and the only thing that helped him was Infacol. Colic can be so hard on new parents, especially when it’s their first child and Infacol makes things so much better.
My friend’s daughter has colic and it’s awful. I would love to win this for her.
I don’t have any children but would love to win this prize to donate to charity
My youngest suffered colic and nothing seemed to work, he just had to grow out of it
My first grandchild is due any day now, I do hope she doesn’t suffer with colic like her mummy did!
Lovely gift for new grandaughter due november
By the time I realised it was colic each time, it had already passed!
I have been very lucky neither of my children had colic, but i know some which have, it can be stressful for new parents
My middle boy suffered terribly from colic, its such a hard time for baby and parent
My middle child had terrible colic, its horrid to watch your child in pain. My youngest is 12 weeks and very mucusy and windy but nothing near as bad thank goodness
i am only just now on my third child experiencing colic and have to say its a nightmare and im hoping baby grows out of it soon fab giveaway thankyou x
I’ve been lucky enough so far not have a colicy baby
I had a hard time with colic when my eldest was a baby, and it took a lot of patience to get through the hard time that was! xx
I had a bad time with my eldest and Colic! I was so tired trying to look after her that i neglected myself, it was a very trying time.
My daughter never suffered with colic, but my nephew is
Both my children had colic so I’m predicting baby number 3 will too
A very difficult birth was followed by the realisation that I had the most fabulous child. Very lucky!
A very difficult birth was followed by the realisation that I had the most fabulous child. Very lucky indeed!
a very easy birth with my son
We were really lucky to have had one rough birth in 3 but its all worth it in the end when you see that little face . Unconditional love
I didn’t have any colic problems with my three children, but I have just become a nanny to baby Isabella who is two weeks old and my son and daughter in law have already had sleepless nights which the midwife said may be colic related.
I also haven’t had any problems with colic however my friends little baby did and it was awful, Poor little soul, not nice.
my son had colic and infcol was a lifesafer
My son suffered with colic for a short while but thankfully it wasnt long x
Infacol was a life saver with my daughter – it really helped her and she outgrew the colic fairly shortly
I was lucky but my best friend’s little boy had severe colic and Infacol really helped. My close friend is pregnant and I would love to prepare her with this wonderful bundle. Great giveaway
Infacol helped my son as a baby when he had bad colic
My granddaughter has colic. My daughter swears by Infacol
I always used Infacol when my kids were small so will passing info onto my daughter who is expecting her first child in October
My suffered quite bad, it was hard going but we got through it