Then try the following methods, ranked by the % that surveyed mothers said worked (along with the % that tried), starting with the most effective:
| Method | % Tried | % Worked | Method | % Tried | % Worked |
| Swing, Cuddle, Hold | 98% | 91% | Swaddling | 93% | 55% |
| Motion | 96% | 89% | The Colic Hold | 87% | 48% |
| Burp During/After Feeds | 98% | 76% | Pacifiers | 76% | 40% |
| More Feedings | 92% | 73% | Gripe Water* | 62% | 37% |
| Sound | 91% | 68% | Probiotics | 50% | 37% |
| Music | 88% | 57% | Tummy Time | 91% | 31% |
| Massage | 86% | 57% | Change Nipple, Bottle, or Formula | 47% | 23% |
| Change Nursing Position | 85% | 55% | Herbal Teas | 36% | 18% |
| A Warm Bath | 84% | 55% | Simethicone** | 33% | 17% |
*An over-the-counter liquid with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to neutralize stomach acid.
**Used to relieve symptoms of extra gas caused by air swallowing; helps break up gas bubbles in the gut.
Get Informed
There are many websites with information on colic, but just a few that go beyond repeating each other to provide actually useful information as you confront colic:
- Comprehensive colic information on Patient.info
- Colic: BabyCenter provides their best solutions
- Fussybabysite.com: this site understands new parents dealing with colic
- http://www.coliccalm.com/pdf/colic-calm-colic-diary.pdf
- Colic expert who knows new dads talks to you about coping
- Survey on what products work best for a fussy/colicky baby
- The nation's renowned expert on why babies cry and when to call the doctor.
What You Should Do If Colic Starts Showing Up
Start by ringing the “all hands on deck” bell and get ahead of the curve on this one, which can include:
- Talking to your doctor with your wife – there are a variety of reasons why your baby may have colic, and doctors are trained to take a constructive approach to determining what might help. Solutions might include temporarily switching to formula, or experimenting with different formulas.
- Trying anything on the crying hack lists you think might help.
- Calling in the troops: relatives, friends, or an experienced baby sitter can give you a break by taking care of your crying baby.
- If the crying has you and mom completely overwhelmed, give yourself a break by putting the baby in his crib, closing the door, and then check on him regularly until you’ve calmed yourself down.
- If you need help, call the Fussy Baby Network’s warm-line at 888-431-2229 (click to dial) and leave a message; they will get back to you to help out.
Good luck in finding solutions, and God speed in getting through it.
What Dads Say About Colic
- “We had a colicky daughter, and it turned into a debugging exercise. There's no one solution that fixed it. For us, the only thing that would keep her from crying was bouncing on one of those exercise balls while holding her. We fed her on that thing, she napped while we bounced, etc. I had thighs of steel by the time she got past it.”
- “Finding out at the end that there is really nothing you can do - you cannot fix the problem – it took a lot of stress off everything”
- “It's a terrible, terrible thing to deal with, so good luck. Just know that it WILL get better.”
- “He cried for an hour and a half straight and I’m thinking, ‘Am I a bad dad? Did I have a bad baby?’ But they cry because they’re trying to tell you something.”
- “And then it was over!”