Foods to Avoid With Colic

Foods to Avoid With Colic

If your baby is crying for more than three hours a day for no apparent or medical reason, he may have colic, according to MedlinePlus. A colicky baby begins crying at about the same time every day, usually in the evening. Though it may appear that your baby has stomach pain, colicky babies usually eat well. A September 3, 2009 article in Medical News Today indicates that colic affects about 20 percent of babies. Switching formula or changing a breast-feeding mother's diet can sometimes ease colic.

Cow's Milk

Some babies are unable to tolerate a protein in cow's milk and that can lead to colic. You can find out if this is your child's problem by switching to a hypoallergenic formula if you are bottle-feeding. Ask your doctor to suggest an appropriate formula for your baby. If you are breastfeeding, eliminate all dairy products, including milk, cheese, and yogurt, from your diet. Try this for one week and see if it works. If it does work, your child may be allergic to milk, but there could be other reasons for your success. For example, your baby's gut may still be maturing. Talk to your doctor about your options if you suspect a milk allergy.

Nuts and Wheat

Sometimes babies are allergic to other foods in the mother's diet, according to Drugs.com. These can include any kind of nut, as well as wheat products like bread or pasta. Try eliminating all nuts and wheat from your diet for a week to see if that helps your baby's symptoms. If you suspect an allergy, consult your doctor.

Stimulants

If you are breastfeeding, you may find that avoiding stimulating foods may help ease your baby's bouts of crying, according to Medical News Today. Try eliminating coffee, tea, spicy food, chocolate and alcohol to see if that helps. If you see no improvement after a week or so, you can eliminate these foods as a cause.

Other Foods

Breastfeeding moms of colicky babies are sometimes told to avoid gas-producing foods, but there is little evidence that this actually makes a difference, according to MedlinePlus. However, if you want to give it a try, you can eliminate broccoli, cabbage, beans and anything else that gives you gas.

source : livestronge.com