Colic babies are impossible to deal with as a parent. There is absolutely no way to handle it. If you need more information on colic, please visit another of our articles. This article is for parents looking to maintain their sanity even when their child will not stop crying.
The reason colic is so taxing on parents is that there is very little they can do to help their babies. What can help is doing a little bit less, rather than more. First, do the easy stuff.
1.) Make sure your baby is not crying for a particular reason that is not colic
2.) Make sure your baby is comfortable, full, and dry
3.) Rock and soothe a little (But not too much! That tires out the baby.)
Knowing the timing of colic can help parents mentally prepare. There is no consensus on when colic starts, peaks and ends, but Kids in the House expert, Dr. Joshua Sparrow, suggests a timeline. He says that parents can start to look for colic in their babies at around three weeks of age, expect the colic to peak at around eight weeks and usually is over by twelve weeks of age.
Many parents are driven insane by the crying, which can last around three hours, three times a week. This kind of pattern is taxing. Parents need to understand that their needs are important to, says Kids in the House expert, Wendy Walsh.
Ultimately, parents should never leave their babies alone to “cry it out.” That method only exacerbates the situation. Parents should not be afraid to rely on neighbors, friends, sitters, and family to help and allow the parents some time off.
One mother featured on the Kids in the House website, Juli Schneiderman, shares her ways of coping. She would go on walks by herself and take shifts with different members of the family to split up time with the baby while he was crying. She admits that there were times when she needed to go cry herself just to purge some of those swirling emotions. Whatever a parent needs to do to stay sane, it is worth trying!
Parents also just need to remind themselves that this is temporary and that they will get through it.
If after 12 weeks the baby’s crying has not gone away, parents need to talk to a pediatrician and determine what else might be affecting the baby.
