Episode 20 - Colic in babies | Kate & Baby Isla

Colic in babies is enough to bring on inconsolable crying in new parents. You don’t know what to do or how to stop it or why your baby is so unhappy. It’s one of the most frustrating parts of caring for a newborn.

In this week’s episode of Sense by Meg Faure, Meg chats to first-time mum Kate. Kate was previously a guest on episode 16 Finding your Mum Tribe with Cassidy Mason. This week, she joins Meg with 10-week-old baby Isla to chat about some of the wins and challenges of the week.

Colic is a big subject throughout the episode. Kate has questions about why it happens and what they can do about it. She mentions that, like a lot of new parents, she and her partner brace themselves for an hour+ of fussiness and non-stop crying. Meg reassures Kate that lots of parent resign themselves to the torture of colic but goes on to explain that colic is in fact a misnomer. 

The word ‘colic’ means abdominal discomfort. But up to 95% of babies aren’t actually experiencing abdominal discomfort but they are actually overstimulated and struggling to settle themselves. Much like we feel after a long day at work, errands, dinner, chores, exercise – except that our brains have matured enough to learn how to relax at the end of a day. Babies, on the other hand, take in so much of our busy world but their brains are not mature enough to process everything without becoming overloaded.

Meg shares some tips for Kate including following awake times and spacing out feeds around bedtime. She also gives Kate some tips on calming strategies for the late afternoon and she also shares her favourite way to calm a crying baby.

Kate also has some questions around activities and healthy stimulation. She expresses she struggles to find things to do when Isla is awake and in a calm alert state in the afternoons. Meg shares some great ideas for keeping your baby stimulated. She suggested things like going for a walk in nature, spending time on a play mat or spending 10 minutes on a short peek-a-boo game.  

For more ideas on how to stimulate your baby, download Parent Sense app and get an age-appropriate play activity everyday of your baby’s first year.