As a mother who has endured not one, but two extremely colicky babies, there are some things I have learned to help cope with the screaming! My babies both screamed for 8 hours a day. That’s not a joke or exaggeration! (I will share more of my story with you in this article.) Just know that you are in good company and are reading information given by someone with real-life experience! If you’re ready to learn some practical tips on how to best cope with the screaming of a colicky baby, keep reading!
My Goal Every Day
First thing my baby did when she woke up in the morning was scream. I would do everything I knew how to calm her. Did she have a poopy or wet diaper? No. Was she hungry? No. Did she have gas stuck in her gut? I would pump her legs and rub her tummy for sometimes 30-40 minutes to help get the gas out. What about a stroller ride? That didn’t help at all! We often couldn’t even get past our house because all she did was scream! How about a bath? A car ride? Gas drops? A nap?
My one goal of every day was to stop the screaming…or at least calm the baby a little. Everything I tried didn’t work. I even took dairy and soy out of my diet. The ONE thing that did work, however, was holding my baby away from me, placing her on my lap and gently bouncing on an exercise ball. Since that worked, I spent most of my day bouncing on the ball.
However, you can imagine not much would get done around the house if that’s all I did all day! The older child still needed attention. Food needed to be made. Laundry needed to be done. Dishes had to be cleaned. Not to mention the messes that were made daily by both children and myself that needed to be cleaned up.
What would happen as soon as I laid my baby down? She was happy for 2 minutes tops and then would start screaming. (No, she was not too used to me holding her! I would let her cry it out for 30 minutes at a time. By the time I got her up, she was soaked with sweat! I know…not normal.)
Best Tips For Coping With The Screaming
How did I manage months of non-stop screaming every-single-day? If you are a mother with a colicky baby, I hope these tips help you! Additionally, I hope your baby is not screaming for 8 hours a day like mine did! Even if it’s only for 2 hours a day, read these tips and put them into practice! They may save your sanity!
Tip 1. Swaddle & White Noise
This works best for infants 0-3 months old. Infants older than 3 months old may not enjoy being swaddled anymore.
What you need:
- Muslin or swaddle blanket – something that’s not super fluffy or stretchy.
- An ambiance or white noise app (I use an app called “White Noise Ambiance”)
This tips was given to me by a very good lactation consultant! She saw how my baby was never relaxed, always screamed, and never happy. This trick worked to get my baby to be quiet for maybe 20-30 minutes at a time! If I was lucky, my baby would fall asleep!
Hopefully your baby is not nearly as difficult as mine was. If this trick worked for my super duper colicky baby, then it should do wonders for you!
The only caution the lactation consultant gave me was not to use this method all the time. Baby still needs to be unswaddled and be able to move around.
So what you do is simply swaddle your baby and pick a white noise that they seem to enjoy. Keep your phone near them so they can hear the sound well.
Tip 2. Wear Ear Plugs
I have a funny story related to this tip! My husband bought me a pair of ear plugs to help with my sanity during the hours of non-stop screaming. The problem was that my days always started in such frenzy that I NEVER remembered to put them in!
The other issue I would run into is that I couldn’t find my ear plugs once I did remember to wear them! So be sure to keep your ear plugs in a place you’ll remember where they are and are easily accessible to you.
This tip, when I was able to put it into practice, actually did wonders for my brain and sanity! Being able to literally cut back on the amount of noise and “information” my brain had to process helped calm my frazzled brain and lowered my stress.
Tip 3. Play Music You Enjoy
For me, this was listening to a radio station I enjoyed. This may sound like an odd tip for some. Perhaps you think that adding more noise on top of noise would make it harder for your brain to function. However the opposite was true for me.
See, screaming is noise; and it’s very difficult noise to listen to for extended periods of time! As a mother, we know that the screaming signals for us to do something, right? So your body and mind is in a constant state of engagement. This is exhausting, to say the least.
What about music or listening to the radio? Yes, that’s technically “noise”, but it’s a noise that your brain understands and loves. It’s a tune you can sing along with. A song may make you want to dance a little. Hearing your favorite music could easily bring a smile to your face when all you feel like doing is crying because you can’t stop the screaming!
Playing the radio was a pleasantly surprising way for me to mentally cope with the screaming. It gave my brain and body endorphins, which helped my emotional and mental state.
Try this tip and see how it works for you!
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Tip 4. Think About Something Encouraging
If there’s one thing the constant sound of a crying baby will do to your brain is discourage you. In serious cases, like mine, the colic could start to lead you down a path of hopelessness and depression. This is especially true if you’re trying everything you know and no doctor, pediatrician or lactation consultant can give you answers. They all say you’re doing the right thing, but the screaming of your baby tells you otherwise!
Yes, that is hopelessness! This is where I was with my babies. One thing I did to help me not get drug down the path of depression was to think about the bright parts of the day – something encouraging.
This could be the smiles and hugs of my oldest daughter, the sunshine, the way my baby wanted me when she cried, etc. Are you able to breastfeed your baby? Count that as a blessing! Is your baby sleeping well for their age at night? Another blessing!
This tip helps keep your brain focused on the positive instead of the negative. This helps fight depression, anxiety, and hopelessness.
Tip 5. Step Outside For A Minute And Breath
Separating yourself, even for one minute, from the screaming will give your brain a very-much-needed break! When I reached my limit each day with my screaming baby and I felt hopeless or ragingly mad, I would make sure both of my children were safe inside and step outside for literally one minute.
I would look at the sky, take big breaths of air, cry, or be encouraged by the sight of older children and adults who were not screaming constantly the way my baby was inside! Such a world would be miserable to live in!
Try this tip and see how it impacts your day.
Leave A Comment
Which tip from this article are you going to try at home? Let us know below! Are there other tips you know of that may help you cope with a colicky baby? Share them with us in the comments below!
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