It’s 9pm and your poor little bubba is not happy. You’ve tried feeding, rocking, bouncing. But nothing seems to stop the crying for a decent stint of time.
Whether it’s from overstimulation, excessive gas/wind or poopy pain, the bottom line is you will do ANYTHING to help your little one through it.
The good news for mums with colicky and/or windy babies is that there are plenty of safe medicines you can try to assist in bringing up excess gas, getting rid of tummy pain and soothing dreaded colic. But how do you know which one will work for your crying baby?
Truth is, there’s no way to know for sure. But before you buy ALL the baby colic products on the market, check out our handy cheat sheet ton drops for windy babies, gripe water and other colic treatments.
We also asked our amazing Baby Mums Australia Facebook Group (go check it out if you haven’t already!) their views on what worked for their colicky and/or windy babies.
Infants’ Friend and other oral liquid solutions
Infants’ Friend is an oral liquid designed to treat both colic and wind. The magical solution contains a mixture of oils and antacids. The treatment, which will set you back around $13, is designed to have a soothing effect on bub’s tum, which in turn stops the upset tummy and inconsolable crying. Hurrah!
MUMS’ VERDICT: 53% of our polled mums recommend it!
In addition to Infants’ Friend, there are several other favourite colic mixtures on the market including The Colic Mix, a magic potion designed by a Perth pharmacist and dad, Wilby’s Wind and Colic Mix (which is especially great for babies with reflux) and Bauer Colic Relief.
Gripe water
Gripe water has been around for ages (your grandma might have mentioned it once or twice!) and is one of the cheaper choices on the market (around $7 per bottle). It’s a liquid mixture of water and herbs, but the exact mixture will vary depending on the manufacturer. Corams Gripe Water is a good, cheap option that worked wonders for my daughter, but there are heaps of other brands to choose from too.
The solution is sweet and most babies like the taste making it easier to get them to take it. The medicine works instantly and you can give several doses a day too (just check the label as each brand will vary).
MUMS’ VERDICT: 21% of our polled mums recommend it!
Infacol (Gas Drops)
If you’re not keen on using an oral liquid, another option is gas drops, such as Infacol. The secret to Infacol is Simethicone, which causes the tiny bubbles of gas in baby’s stomach to join together and come out easier.
Infacol should be used before every feed to help bring up the wind. It comes with a handy pipette and you only need a few drops each time you use it. The drops cost around $10 for a 30ml bottle, which lasts for approximately 150 feeds.
MUMS’ VERDICT: 4% of our polled mums recommend it!
Probiotic Drops
Probiotic Drops, such as BioGaia Probiotic Drops, are a tad more expensive (around $34 a bottle) than some other gas drops but can work wonders for some babies. The drops contain a probiotic supplement called Lactobacillus reuteri, which can help improve the good bacteria in bub’s digestive system and restore the balance in the tummy.
There is scientific evidence backing the belief that probiotics assist in curing colic and these drops are an easy way to give baby’s belly a little bit of goodness.
Like Infacol, Probiotic Drops should be given before feeds. You can add them to your baby’s bottle, put them directly in their mouth or add a bit to your breast before feeds.
MUMS’ VERDICT: 16% of our polled mums recommend it!
Other Baby Colic Helpers
Not keen on giving baby oral medicine? Try these instead:
Anti-Colic Bottles
Whether you’re bottle feeding formula or expressed breastmilk, anti-colic bottles can be a lifesaver. They’re designed to limit the amount of air swallowed to help prevent excessive gas. Check out our real mum’s review of the new Tommee Tippee Advanced Anti-Colic Bottle.
Anti-colic bottles were also a huge win with our Baby Mums Australia mummies.
MUMS’ VERDICT: 21% of our polled mums recommend giving them a go!
Tummy Oil
Designed to help soothe baby’s tummy, this oil is great for mums who want to try infant massage to help relieve wind in their baby. Weleda Baby Tummy Oil (costs around $23 per bottle) is one of the most trusted and recommended brands.
Colic Tea (for you)
Pour yourself a cuppa and reduce colic? Win-win! Many mums swear that drinking breastfeeding teas can help with baby’s wind. Some good household names for colic tea include Clean Tea Mother’s Love and Earth Mama Tea.
In addition to the above options, check out these 7 colic cures that may help your colicky baby. Hopefully, one of the many colic treatment methods will work for your bub!
