The Sleep Store asked our Facebook community "Have you used any natural remedies or medicines for colic or reflux? Did they work or were they just a big waste of $$$?? Would love your feedback so we can compile a list of recommendations for struggling mums & bubs!"
It would depend on the severity of the condition. For me they were a waste of money and I required prescription medicine for both my sons.
I used the colic powder from Weleda - absolutely a god send !
Rhuger helped a little bit with my bubba - it's a tincture of rhubarb and ginger;
Nothing has helped my son except for losec - that still gets used every now and then as he puts on weight. Sometimes I find even that does not work if it is not changed on time. I am trying amber beads at the mo but finding it makes no difference. He does have severe reflux though - each time we see someone else in the medical profession they ask if he was prem as his reflux is what they would expect to see in a prem baby - he was 6 days late - it's hard work :(
Losec was the only cure for my son. He is 16mths old and is on 2x10mg per day.
Waste of time and $$ for me, milk protein allergy was causing the colic and reflux
nothing natural here either. Nexium has been our life saver!
My daughter has reflux and milk protein allergy.. she was prem and is on losec and mylanta but even that doesn't help.. she also has karicare thickener in her fomula and it's so thick she cant drink more than 150mls and she is nearly 9months and starting to refuse all bottles! Nothing has helped.. she has worn amber beads for the past 3 months and they help with her teething but haven't done anything with the reflux
Have to say going off all dairy is the best answer as it is normally the cause. Breastfeeding mum needs to be dairy free as well if breastfeeding. That is what did it for us.
I tried a wide range of natural remedies and the osteopath. Didn't do a thing. Losec and Ranitidine were the only thing that made a difference. And raising the head end of the bassinet/cot
How do you find out if that have a milk protein allergy or are dairy intolerant?
Losec was the only way for us, gaviscon made a little difference. Also as I'm breastfeeding, dairy free also helps, we noticed a huge difference in bubs when I was completely dairy free. Tried rhugar too, that really helped with the constipation that came with giving the gaviscon.
Dairy free best for my boy..
tried slippery elm power..made into paste....worked for about a week then not.....losec was the best (atho not natural) gaviscon helped but not much but good to know that finally they grow out of it, mine wasn't till he was 12 months :( but all good now at 14months :)
Dairy free for me and my son and seeing the osteo when things were at their worst. After going dairy free we were able to stop using losec :)
Colic and Reflux I think are quite different. My little one had Reflux and quite literally was awake all day for first 5-6 months. And cried and cried. Only solutions that really helped were Losec and front pack. I also cut out Dairy while breast feeding and used goat milk formula. That may have helped a little.
Looking on "don't cry over split milk" website also made me feel less alone with all the crying.
15months now and a treasure so there is hope. He has also just started having a really good day sleep. I think he was a refluxy, alert, wired little soul from birth and has just taken his time to settle down.
I agree, i think osteo definitely made a difference but that was with thickened formula and zantac as well.
When we were trying to find out if my son's reflux was dairy intolerance I had to cut all dairy (traces of dairy also - lots of things contain traces so you have to read everything) from my diet for two weeks to see if there were any improvements. It made no difference for us. I also cut out all acidic/citrus foods as well as bananas and avo as they too can make it worse - still made no difference. It is just something u have to play around with. Do one thing at a time though and for two weeks to get an idea as some foods take a while to come out of your system. If not breast feeding then cut out of your child's diet.
You can have children allergy tested - I can't remember the age sorry - when my son was admitted to starship for the fourth time for reflux I asked about this and they said he was too young (he was about two months old) as results can come back showing no allergy when they are allergic and also come back saying allergic when they are not allergic. We see the specialist next week so I am going to ask about this again - he is four months now so think he is still too young.
Rhuger was awesome for colic but in the end we needed losec for DS1.. sadly it looks like DS2 is a reflux baby too :( Going to try an Osteo and see a paed who specialises in reflux to see what he thinks this time. I tried everything natural first for DS1, this time I want to avoid the drama for all of us.
I have a feeling it was after one they told me I just can't remember as it was info over load and I was sleep deprived as well as stressed as my son was having test after test done on him as they were questioning if it was reflux or not. It makes it hard when they can't do it as you just have no idea. I am certain my son's is not allergy related as I have eliminated so much from my diet and it makes no difference. They have suggested trying [to cut] gluten but i am waiting to see what the specialist says about that next week as I won't be left with many things to eat. I know it is def. not dairy as he has one formula bottle a day and that goes down a heck of a lot better than breast feeds and stays down also
The Sleep Store - We have heard great things about Dr Rohan Ameratunga at http://www.allergyspecialist.co.nz/ for allergy testing & info about pediatric food allergies.
We used Rhuger for our daughter's colic, worked wonders!
i found going gluten free helped my boy - see research by Rodney Ford in ChCH - an allergy/reflux specialist. if after a couple of weeks there is no improvement then go back to wheat... could be worth a shot even thou you begin to think you will never eat well again.
also a probiotic with the losec helped his tummy i think - ie: took away horrible poos. infacol also helped in the early days cos it meant the wind came easily without the burping process which would bring up the milk. there is also a reflux chair designed to cradle reflux bubs at the right angle to keep milk down - this was a godsend.
We tried Rhuger but that just seemed to upset Molly even more. Gaviscon just constipated her, so she was on Coloxyl too, but now we've moved to Ranitidine & we've got a much happier bub!
You can also have allergy testing by using a snippet of hair for children.
I also know an allergy specialist in Huia if anyone is interested - she is friendly and good with children.
Weleda colic powder, plus a few trips to an Osteopath - cured reflux like magic!
Our wee girl had bad colic - Rescue Remedy and Rhuger made all the difference.
I came off dairy and within two weeks the difference was beyond belief! One happy baby means one happy mama!
If a baby truly has reflux then it's a physical thing where ONLY medication can treat the symptoms but not fix the problem. Reflux is where the 'oesphageal valve isn't fully closed over yet...50% of babies are born like this)....and this takes time when they are young ( usually somewhere from 6mths and anywhere up to 2 years fully)...therefore stomach contents are always coming up (over the valve) and this causes burning and pain into the lining of the osephagus. Over time if not treated then can have serious complications to the baby. Only way to stop pain and eating away at lining because of acid is to treat with medication. Such as renitadine or Losec. Losec being the superior one. It won't stop the spilling and vomiting (babies can have silent reflux too in which it happens but hardly any spilling or vomiting) but does treat stop the acid from causing further damage to stomach and oesophagus and therefore this stops the pain!..thats why the babies cry and don't sleep much and unsettled when feeding and after. My son had it and we were able to stop his meds (losec) at 9mths...but was still very susceptible to vomiting his food at times..even from a little cough. He showed reflux symptoms around 3rd week and by 4th week was diagnosed and on Losec. Instant change and he was a happy normal baby again. He did however continue to have some respiratory problems because he was choking on his spills when he was asleep and lead to him in quite a bit of respiratory distress on about 4-5 occasions! First time it happened we had to call the ambulance because he could hardly breathe...eventually he came right on his own very quickly. This was reflux at the extreme where his spills went back down the wrong way!
Losec was all that worked for my daughter's reflux. Not the liquid the capsule tipped in her mouth, as directed by the specialist. She also had simple carbohydrates from 8 weeks, pear or kumara mixed with breastmilk, 1 teaspoon prior to 3 feeds a day. To line her stomach. The specialist said the colic was a result of the reflux, and prescribed merbentin (not sure about spelling) and it was gone in 3 days.
She kept throwing up until she was about ten months, but not in pain. He said they just have to grow out of it, but they don't need to feel the pain. Fingers crossed my next one doesn't have it!!!
A sip of brown sugar water prior to feeding or throughout the night to get some sleep helped me. Osteo didn't work,Gaviscon,Losec & Ranitidine were a waste of time. The homeopath at Lincoln Rd Pharmacy has some inexpensive remedies she will make up for you on the spot :) This helped. Mainly just time though, until 7 months old!!!
For breastfeeding mums, diet would be the first thing to look at - like others have said, dairy and gluten but caffeine can give reflux symptoms too sometimes. If bottle feeding then may be worth trying different formulas. My 2x formula fed babies both had silent reflux and they did not have dairy issues (we saw the allergist mentioned above) as far as medical professionals were concerned - showed no other indicators of it. Babies with reflux often have colic too as they swallow lots, keep everything down and swallow air at the same time. This is not the sort of wind that you can easily burp up and ends up in the bowels. Something that relaxes the gut can really help - merbentyl is prescribed as worked well for us (I was very resistant to use it but after 3 days of using it during which DD farted constantly, we never had a colicky afternoon/evening ever again). I also use Weleda Cham Rad 20x to help keep the gut relaxed (Plunket Family Centres often recommend this), I think that works very well and is worth a go.
Losec was the only thing that helped with the reflux pain and made sleep a little more possible (and, with my second whom we got onto this early with, helps to avoid getting to the stage of feeding issues which I've heard another mum describe as its own special little circle of hell.) However, it is one of those things that you just have to wait for them to grow out of. I think the most important thing is that you give them heaps of love and closeness as they are very uncomfortable, you try to do all that you can to reduce the level of crying as that doesn't help anyone - those are about as natural as you can get :) I found that just doing what works for that point in time (with regard to sleep) did not set up any bad habits that I had to really break later - all righted itself easily with time
Nothing is a magic fix with these babies, you just have to manage it as best you can and give it time. There is heaps of advice on www.cryingoverspiltmilk.co.nz Raise head end of cot, baby carriers, hammocks, long drives in the car.... whatever works is fine for now :)
Reflux is very common but complicated reflux where they are in a lot of pain etc is not soooo common. It is a bit popular at the moment I think which isn't a bad thing as hopefully people with truly unhappy reflux babies can find useful information easily but I also think it makes a few GPs :rolleyes: think "another reflux baby" type thing which is very hard if you are dealing with a very unsettled baby.
I had to give up dairy and chocolate! and brauer colic relief natural medicine helped for colicky bubs.not sure if you can get in nz as i couldn't find it.
Combo of things for my daughter who had reasonably severe silent reflux until just over 2 years - Losec (granule form and not Dr Reedy's), Front pack and Tummy Sleeping (monitor used), dairy and gluten free early on.
We found the Wilsons Pharmacy (Chch) Colic Mixture good, it is similar to the Wellington Hospital Board Colic Mixture that I know other people had success with too.
I used the Rhuger - worked well!!! The best out of everything I tried.
Also agree RE Losec omeprazole rather than the generic version (Dr Reddy's) and granules not suspension
Infacol and gripewater seemed to work best, but with silent reflux he also needed losec. We had the branded losec not the generic one and we placed the granules onto his tongue then straight onto a feed, so boob in right away as it was too messy to mix first etc.
Wow its frightening to see how many children are on losec. Quintesssence colic and reflux drops work well along with slippery elm powder and good burping techniques. Allergy tests are done by www.allergenics.co.nz
We tried a chiropractor and acupuncture but no joy with either. It was just time, losec and a dummy that helped us.
our daughter had awful colic for 5 months - we tried lots of natural remedies and the only thing that seemed to work was time - that and taking turns with some one else! I feel for all the parents out there who have babies with colic. It will pass!
Actually one thing that did help and we only just stopped doing was sleeping Cameron on his side in a wedge. Particularly when he was little this helped a lot. I know the risk of SIDS goes up doing this but when we considered all the risk factors we still made the decision and it did make a significant difference. Make sure you do your research before you decide to do this but it worked for us.
Used Weleda Colic powder on baby 3 and had great success although I find having to mix it up a hassle. Baby number 2 was very spilly and the colic powder just made him power chuck.I think it's all very dependant on the child.
Omg, I could not have lived without Brauer's Colic relief. 2 or 3 times I'd forgotten to give it to my son for a day and boy did I know about it!
We tried all the natural routes and had a screaming baby, tried eliminating things from mum's diet etc. still had a very unhappy awake baby and consequently an anxious stressed out unhappy mum. Losec eventually helped (after all the things we tried). Then when we gave our daughter the granules from a split capsule rather than the mixture from the pharmacy (which tastes revolting) she finally she started to put on weight and become the smiling happy child she has grown into today. Reflux should not be left untreated but it should be established that it is reflux and not another problem :)
Zantac for one of our kids worked well until 15mths with Goats milk formula, the other child had losec & thickened formula. The medication needs to be increased as their weight gains. Reduce it slowly to get off it at about age two. Bed end needs to be up 30 degrees with a reflux safety sleep to hold them in. Fed as soon as up then upright for 60 mins before sleep. Even our playmat was inside a portacot with the end elevated. Exersaucers are a must have for over 4 mths. Distraction while feeding is also a must have! B Free bottles worked well too. Reflux babies tend to be late crawlers due to less floor time.
for colic, naturopharm coli-med worked the best out of all the wind stuff (and I'm sure we tried them all), as well as a few visits to the osteopath, also for wind, parsley juice worked for a little while (a whole lot of parsley with boiling water tipped over it and about a tablespoon in each meal during the day for the babies), we side slept both babies in a sleep wedge which helped with both the colic and reflux as did raising the head of the bed, but unfortunately both babies were on medication for well over a year
A chiropractor!!! Worked wonders
We used Iberogast, helps more with the tummy. Has to be prescribed from a naturopath. Also used it with our third he didn't have reflux but worked great when he had an upset tummy, and windy days early on
it was interesting to know that reflux babies are as smiley and happy as other babies. this was a relief to find out cos i was hearing how other bubs were giggling and smiling at everything and everyone and here was my Mr Serious. He is making up for it now but def not as early to smile as others. also later with physical milestones due to not much floor time, which is fine as he will grow and progress in his own way but good to know if you are feeling pressured by others making comparisons.
I found that a nuk dummy made my little girl concentrate on sucking which limited the amount of food that she would bring up and it also helped her get wind out. Very cheap and very effective!
Colic relief ( Aussi homeopathic remedy)
i used baby acidophilus in my daughter's milk. worked like magic, two weeks and she was over her colic
My wee boy had really really bad colic. We tried everything, cranial osteo, gaviscon, homeopathy, chamomilla, dairy free (my diet), raising the bed, infacol, gripe water, dill seed tea...the list goes on. We didn't want to trial merbentyn... (recommended by our GP) after reading up on it.
In the end it was only TIME that helped. We used Harvey Karp's suggestions, and just had to ride it out. Oh man those days were bad, but for everyone going through it, count down the days til they turn 100 days old and it WILL go away.
AWESOME book "When your baby won't stop crying" really helped me feel like I wasn't alone in that hellish experience.
I tried some stuff called Colief but I don't know if you can get it here. I brought it from the UK with my little one and it was amazing. I think you may be able to google it and see if there is something similar here :) Good luck mums...it does fade at about 5-6 mths once they move on to solid food.
I always thought colic magically disappeared at 3 months but it didn't for us, it was actually getting worse. I tried lots of natural remedies in that time and nothing helped hence using merbentyl. What I did find was that it was important to keep bubs as calm as possible - I held her next to running water LOTS, heaps of walking off the pain in the front pack. Post merbentyl I kept doing heaps of warm baths followed by massage and used the Weleda Cham Rad 20x and we never got any colicky stuff again.
regarding the allergy testing...my first little man had severe reflux - saw Dr Allen Liang in Auckland and he allergy tested him at 6months but it came back negative. Regardless he told us to keep him strictly dairy-free and me too as i was still feeding him, based on his reaction to formula. At 13 months after a severe reaction touching yoghurt we had him tested again and he came back with a very high positive blood test to milk protein. So although you can get your children tested early it is true as someone has already posted that they often get false negatives as their immune system is not complex enough to show up in the blood test. When he was about 10 months we forked out loads of money for the hair test and that didn't show up any reaction at all to milk - considering it turned out to be a potentially anaphylactic allergy I wouldn't put any faith in that form of testing
Used colimed without much help for reflux, but saw a registered homeopath practitioner and got our own little concoction made up and that worked a charm (along with mummy's diet etc)
So in summary...... basically Losec and dairy free seem to be the most effective ways to lessen the effects of reflux! Not easy to go dairy free-everything seems to have milk solids or milk protein hidden in it!
My little man had classic reflux - never exhibited signs of pain, just projectile vomited regularly, but always gained weight. We didn't need to use prescription medicines but I have every sympathy for the babies and parents dealing with silent reflux. We went to a cranial osteopath, made a homemade 'tea' to his recipe to add to bottles (dill seeds to help ease wind pain). LOTS of upright time after feeds, and it took forever to get wind out of him. We found that long after the vomiting had ceased to be an issue we are still grappling with terrible teething cycles (refluxers are notorious for bad teething) and constant chest infections (possibly related to the reflux, or a compromised immune system from the prolonged teething & its impact on sleep). M slept through the night early, so was officially a 'good sleeper', but very easily disturbed and unsettled eg if away from home overnight or teething. That has taken nearly 2 years to resolve. I've found that it's those 'hidden' bits of reflux that have been hard to handle. Reflux runs in our family - I had it, so did all 4 of my husband's half-sisters - so I expect we will face it with any subsequent babies. Having supportive friends who understand is the only thing that keeps you sane I think.
Limited success with Infacola and Gaviscon led to Losec for both my boys :0( Hoping number 3 didn't get the reflex gene
Losec Losec Losec. My little boy started screaming inconsolably from about 4 weeks, told the midwife he wouldn't sleep, and she said it was normal. One week later with baby still screaming went to the doctor, and got Gaviscon and Losec in suspension. Used the Gaviscon for 3 weeks with the Losec, till the losec had fully taken effect and now hes just on the Losec. The moment that I gave him gaviscon he was screaming, and as every spoonful went in the screaming got quieter and quieter. By the time it was all gone, He'd gone to sleep in my arms and slept for two hours straight.
We tried all the drops and potions for Luka's colic. Cranial-osteopath worked a little bit but our saviour was novalac colic formula. U can get it from the pharmacy. It's the best ever and would recommend to all...
