Children & Infants
Colic in Infants
Repeated bouts of painful intestinal gas in infants — beginning around week 3 and clearing by week 12 — almost always caused by food allergies in mother's diet or formula ingredients, resolved by catnip tea and dietary correction.
📝 Summary
In short: Repeated bouts of painful intestinal gas in infants — beginning around week 3 and clearing by week 12 — almost always caused by food allergies in mother's diet or formula ingredients, resolved by catnip teaA warm drink made by steeping herbs in hot water. How to make a tea → and dietary correction.
Common causes: Food allergies — in the nursing mother's diet (onions, cabbage, garlic, wheat, yeast, broccoli, brussels sprouts are common offenders) or in formula ingredients (especially cow's milk protein, soy, or wheat).; Fried foods, junk foods, and refined foods in the mother's diet.; Iron-fortified formula (iron-fortified foods tend to cause colic)..
First thing to try: Give the infant warm catnip teaA warm drink made by steeping herbs in hot water. How to make a tea → in a bottle.
See a doctor if: See a doctor if symptoms are severe, persistent, or worsening, or if you are unsure — natural supports are meant to complement, not replace, professional care.
🌿 Overview
Colic is stomach or intestinal pain in infants caused by abnormal amounts of gas passing through the digestive tract. It begins around the 3rd–4th week and typically clears up by the 12th week. It affects 1 in 10 babies. Colic is rare in countries where natural, wholesome food is eaten and medicinal drugs are not used. Mothers given drugs during labor are more likely to have colicky babies. The root cause is almost always diet — either the nursing mother's diet or the formula.
Common signs
- Abdominal pain, abdominal distension (bloating), extreme fretfulness, insomnia, hysteria in the infant.
- The child cries out, pulls the knees up to the stomach.
- May be red in the face.
- Symptoms worsen at night.
🔎 Why it happens
Common causes and triggers — spotting yours is often the first step to relief.
- Food allergies — in the nursing mother's diet (onions, cabbage, garlic, wheat, yeast, broccoli, brussels sprouts are common offenders) or in formula ingredients (especially cow's milk protein, soy, or wheat).
- Fried foods, junk foods, and refined foods in the mother's diet.
- Iron-fortified formula (iron-fortified foods tend to cause colic).
- Smoking parents.
- Drugs given to the mother during labor.
✅ What to do
Gentle, practical steps you can take at home — start at the top.
- Give the infant warm catnip teaA warm drink made by steeping herbs in hot water. How to make a tea → in a bottle.
- A very warm bath given an hour before an expected attack may prevent it.
- A hot footbath or hot fomentationA hot, moist cloth pressed on the body — classic hydrotherapy. How to make a fomentation → over the abdomen will relieve the baby.
- Keep booties on the baby 24 hours a day — cold feet can cause colic.
- Give warm anise, peppermint, chamomile, thyme, or catnip teaA warm drink made by steeping herbs in hot water. How to make a tea → (1 cup made, give 1 Tbsp. at a time).
- Add a little powdered activated charcoal to water in the bottle to relieve gas (too much can constipate).
- For nursing mothers: eliminate likely offenders one by one — wheat, dairy, onions, garlic, cabbage, broccoli are most common.
- Feed in an upright position; burp frequently during feedings.
- Never feed while lying down.
- Keep the baby awake during early evening to help nighttime sleep.
- For formula-fed babies: switch to vitaminA natural substance your body needs in small amounts to stay healthy, like vitamin C or D. More →-enriched goat's milk if possible, or try having the mother restart breastfeeding.
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📊 Compare these remedies side by side
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| Warm & Cold Compress | Therapy | 88 | 198 |
| Oatmeal Bath | Therapy | 83 | 97 |
🍽️ Eating to help
Food is one of the gentlest medicines — small, steady changes help most.
For nursing mother: eliminate fried foods, junk foods, and refined foods. Eat excellent nutrition. For formula-fed baby: eliminate wheat and dairy from formula first. Do not introduce grains until 5–6 months of age — infants lack the digestive enzymes for grains until then; do not give yeast bread until 1 year old.
⚖️ Good to know
- Introduce only one new food at a time after weaning.
- Never prop up a feeding bottle.
- Iron-fortified formula and iron supplements for nursing mothers tend to worsen colic — use blackstrap molasses instead for iron.
🩺 When to see a doctor
- See a doctor if symptoms are severe, persistent, or worsening, or if you are unsure — natural supports are meant to complement, not replace, professional care.
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