Infant Tips

An Unexpected Aid in Coping with Colic

As you navigate the choppy waters that are colic, it’s important to have a sense of humor. Remembering to laugh is one of the things that can make a huge difference in how you cope with this parenting challenge. (We were blessed with two colicky infants—you can imagine how much sleep we got.)

Our family’s experience may help you. When our family experienced our second case of colic, we were much better equipped to deal with it. And because we knew how trying it could be, my husband and I devised a system to share the responsibility of caring for our daughter while also allowing small breaks for both of us.

It all started one night after dinner when my husband was trying to watch a game on television and I was holding our crying infant. It occurred to me that this situation was an opportunity, so I handed him the baby saying, "She obviously isn't happy with your choice in programs."

A little while later, he returned our still crying child and said, "She was rooting for the team that lost. She's taking it harder than most of their fans."

And so it was born. We had a new unwritten rule: the unhappy baby was his or my responsibility unless we could find a clever way to lighten the tension caused by the hours of crying.

It became a hilarious game of wit:
  • "She didn't think he should have been voted out at Tribal Council."
  • "She heard what was on the menu for dinner."
  • "She can't believe you’re wearing that shirt."
  • "She didn't get into Yale."
  • "She heard your mother was coming to visit."
We had found the silver lining!

Suddenly, colic wasn't so bad. Giving each other a way to laugh during the stressful times minimized the tension and reminded us that we were in it together…as a family.


Your Comments

Comments
Tanya
My colicy baby was not formula fed and I wasn't about to start as long as I produced enough breast milk. All of my daughter's "colic" was actually acid reflux. Finding that out made life a lot easier. I still like this advice. Its actually a really good idea to use in any stressful situation especially ones that involve kids. I think its awesome, Thanks!
6/20/2012 6:01:07 PM

Emi
OK. I am a mother of 5. All my kids were frlouma feed. All you really need to do is buy a can regular frlouma and a can of SOY frlouma. Try each one for a week. You will know what is better for them. All my kids were on soy. I like it alot better. Don't worry about switching brands it doesn't matter about the brand. My opinion is soy is much better tolerated by babies. Just make sure you buy a brand name frlouma. The store brands are not as healthy.
6/11/2012 12:46:26 PM

Leave comment



 Security code

Dr. Levine

Dr. Alanna Levine is a New York based pediatrician and a mom of two children.