Chorevia

Day 39 of 60 · Week 6

What helps crying, and what doesn't

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 13 sources · Plain-text version

Gas drops, diet changes, probiotics, special formulas: what the reviews found before you spend a dollar, plus one soother that's free and on the AAP's list.

A Latina mother sways slowly in a sunlit kitchen with her six-week-old upright against her shoulder, the baby's face turned out, her own mother stirring a pot at the stove behind her.

By week six, someone has recommended a drop, a formula, a diet, a gadget. Today is the honest list of what the evidence says, so you can skip the shopping.

Heart

First, the AAP's rule: you can't spoil a young baby with attention, and babies whose cries are answered cry less overall (AAP). Picking them up is never the wrong move, and nothing you can buy does more than that.

Head

Gas drops: a review of reviews found simethicone, the ingredient in most gas drops, showed no benefit (Ellwood et al., 2020), and the AAP says studies suggest it doesn't help colic (AAP). Diet: the evidence for diet and formula changes is very low quality (Gordon et al., 2018). Probiotics: pooling 4 trials of 345 babies, the probiotic L. reuteri DSM 17938 reduced crying in breastfed babies with colic; the effect in formula-fed babies wasn't significant (Sung et al., 2018). That result applies to that strain only. Special formulas: European experts advise against special "colic" formulas and against moving a breastfed baby to formula because of colic (Haiden et al., 2024). Ask your pediatrician before switching formulas or cutting foods from your diet (AAP).

Body

What has something behind it is mostly free. The AAP's colic tips: walk with your baby in a carrier, rock, add steady sound like a fan, offer a pacifier, or lay your baby tummy-down across your knees and rub their back (AAP). In a 1990 trial of 40 newborns, 80% fell asleep within 5 minutes with white noise, versus 25% without (Spencer et al., 1990); keep sound machines quiet and away from the crib, since at full volume some exceed safe noise levels (Hugh et al., 2014). And singing is on the AAP's soothing list (AAP).

Try today

  1. The grandmother takes a turn, swaying and singing with the baby held against her chest and head supported, while the mother leans on the counter smiling.

    Singing and gentle swaying

    Time: A song or two, any time · Singing and gentle swaying in the guide

    1. Hold your baby securely, with head and neck supported.

    2. Sing anything, slowly, and sway or rock in rhythm.

    3. Keep the same song for the same moment each day, so it becomes a cue.

    Make it work:

    Keep movement smooth and gentle. Never shake a baby. The evidence is emerging: one non-randomized study of about 170 mothers linked singing lullabies to stronger bonding at 3 months (Persico et al., 2017). You don't need a good voice.

Watch for

  • Normal

    crying that a song calms for a minute and then doesn't.

    Call your pediatrician right away

    if your baby looks or acts very sick, or you think they need to be seen urgently (AAP).

  • Normal

    spit-up with a burp after a long cry.

    Call your pediatrician right away

    if spit-up turns forceful or projectile, and go to the ER now for green spit-up or vomit (AAP).

  • Normal

    a tense, gassy belly before a poop that softens after.

    Call your pediatrician right away

    if your baby vomits with a swollen belly, or has a new weak suck or weak muscles (AAP).

For you

The mother lies on the couch with her feet up and eyes closed in afternoon light, an empty mug on the coffee table, the grandmother's shadow in the doorway.

Don't buy anything for colic before asking the pediatrician (AAP). The money is better spent on an hour of someone else's arms. Your rest matters more than any product on the shelf: hand the baby to the person who offered, for one song's length, then a nap's length. The newborn guide's rule still holds: accept specific help, like a stroller walk while you sleep (Chorevia).

If you're the partner: when the relatives arrive with remedies, you be the one who says, "Let's ask the doctor first." Then take the baby for the walk.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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