Colic

One of the common conditions in newborn babies, affecting around 20% of infants. Usually starts a few weeks after birth, and continues for the first 3 to 4 months of life. It is not harmful and the causes are unknown. Babies with colic may clench their fists, draw up their knees or arch their back. Their faces are red and flushed, the crying is intense and furious and it is very difficult to comfort them.

Treatment

There are not many treatment options, but there are a few tips you might find useful:

- holding your baby during a crying episode or swaddling
- sitting them upright during feeding
- avoid drinking too much tea, coffee when breastfeeding
- always burp your baby after a feed
- background sound (washing machine, vacuum cleaner, tumble dryer)

Medical treatment:
We were very lucky and did not have to deal with colic, but one of my friends' son was suffering from it. I remember how frustrating it was for her when she could not comfort him. She tried a few different medicines, but nothing seemed to work, until she tried Infacol Suspension . She said it was fantastic and it seemed to help her son a lot.

Traditional therapies:
When I was breastfeeding, I was advised by my family and friends to drink fennel tea (smells really nice). They all agreed it helped with colic and prevented winds. I used to drink the tea once a day, and as I have mentioned before Isabelle did not suffer from colic. Whether it was thanks to drinking the tea or not, it is worth trying it.

My health tips

Nappy rash
Another very common condition that seems to bother most babies is a nappy rash. I used Sudocrem most of the time, but when Isabelle was teething, it did not seem to work. One of my friends told me about Bepanthen and it helped. At the end I found another great product, Metanium , which does not smell great but worked every time I used it on her very sore bottom.

Teething
There are so many teething products on the market. From my personal experience, I would recommend homeopathic teething remedy, Teetha, that you put on your baby's tongue and it stays there longer than teething gels . On the other hand, Isabelle loved when I was rubbing some gel on her sore gums. When Isabelle started teething we also used Calpol, but then I tried Neurofen for children ( my friend's advice) and that was much better and helped her sleep at night.

Fever

Clogged or runny nose

Arianna BABY-VAC nasal vacuum- is an excellent invention. You attach it to your vacuum cleaner and within a few seconds your baby's nose is clean. This is one of the products I cannot imagine being without.

Most important specifications:

- clinically tested and approved
- paediatricians and specialists recommend it
- works fast
- easy to clean
- safe for newborns, toddlers and infants

Nivea Baby- Nose Cleaner Spray- it is an excellent product which I used when Isabelle had a blocked nose. It contains purified, isotonic sea water extract which helps to clean baby's nose. It is suitable from 3 months.

Karvol which helps clear and easy breathing.

Mothers health
When doing my research I found 2 very interesting products just for mums. Healthy Back Baby Changing Bag, which is not only a very cool and ergonomic bag, it also contains many important things we all need when travelling with our babies. Hippychick Hipseat, an ergonomic baby carrier for parents who carry their children on their hips. It is suitable from 6 months to 3 years and it has been approved by osteopaths.

Home safety

As your baby grows, you will find that what seemed to be safe yesterday, does not seem to be safe today. There are so many safety products on the market, but which ones do we really need?

 I hope you will find my advice and tips quite useful and if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please, contact me on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it