Please Help Stop the Crying

SOunds very familiar! For us it was food allergies/sensitivities. Once tested he was allergic to milk and soy! We put him on Augmentin and a new child emerged!! If you want info on where I had him tested...as well as my other kids let me know. It is in the Palos Park area. They were tested for food "sensitivities" so it is non-invasive. No pokes , scratches or blood tests.

GRIPE Water.........They sell it at Walgreens .......it's about $8.00. I've posted about it many times........get it use it!!! It calms babies crying in about 1 minute!!!! You can put it in their bottles to use all the time or just give them a couple drops when they need it.

Hi K.,
Unfortunately I don't have any personal experience to share, but a friend of mine had similar problems and finally found help that worked through people at the Erikson Institute. They have a "Fussy Baby Network," their number is 888-431-BABY and their website is www.fussybabynetwork.org. I haven't spoken to her about the details of how they helped, but she left me a message all excited about the help she received. Just thought I'd share for what it's worth. Best of luck!
C.

It's obvious he doesn't want to do milk. He may not want to stop nursing because nursing provides much more than nutrition. It helps develop the brain, digestive tract, and so much more and it very beneficial to kids for more than just the first year. Have your tried eliminating dairy out of your diet to see if that gets rid of the colic?

As far as the biting goes a nursing kid can't bite and nurse at the same time. It isn't physically possible to nurse and bite at the same time so his latch will change before he bites. So if you notice his latch change unlatch him immediately and if he bites you put away your breasts and tell him no. After a few minutes if he still wants to nurse let him but if he bites you again put them away again. It might take a little while but he will understand biting=no nursing and he'll stop. If he won't unlatch with the biting push him into the breast, or hold his nose so he has to let go.

Good luck.

Oh soo sorry, sounds so hard! First I would get the book Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child- it will help you determine if sleep is contributing to the problem, and give you some strategies for helping (that being said I had one child that it didn't work for, but I rally think he is by far the exception- but at least I knew the problem was sleep- we took him to a specialist and did get it worked out- just with different strategies). Anyway I would also consider not stopping nursing, that is only going to cause a lot more crying right now, but just a thought. The third thing would be to get him on a probiotic. I read this fascinating study that eliminated colic in infants by using one- and maybe he still has GI issues, either way it can only help. Hope this helps!! Praying for you both right now!

Hi K.,

There IS such a thing as reflux and colic. While it may be exacerbated by food sensitivities it exists for children as much as it exists for adults. My now 15 month old daughter had awful problems with reflux and colic. After getting multiple opinions our current ped put her on Prevacid and Nutramigen. She stayed on both until her body could learn to "calm down" a little and adjust to actually keeping food down. During that time she also had a crib wedge at home and at daycare. We also bought something called a Zaky Pillow which is a pair of hands that simulates being held. Not sure how I came upon those but my daughter didn't cry so much when we started using them while she was sleeping. Anyway,once the doctor was satisfied with her weight gain and demeanor he changed her over to Nestle Good Starts with Natural Cultures. I absolutely swear by that formula. My daughter had NO problems at all when we finally transitioned her and actually started "asking" for more solid foods as well. She is now a healthy,happy,hungry 15 month old little girl and the only food sensitivity she still has is to rice and bananas. For some reason they both constipate her.

It might be best to take your baby to a pediatric GERD specialist to try to get another opinion. Maybe all you guys need is just some small changes until your little guy can get his tummy acids under control.

Good luck and best wishes!!!!

That sounds terrible for you and your son! I'm sorry something like this is going on. Without a doubt, I would ask LOTS of questions about the acid relux and whether or not the medication is working.

But here's a story from my family:

My younger brother cried non-stop. Through the day, through the night -- from the time he awoke to the time he went to bed. At one point, my parents had to go out of town and left my brother and me to stay with my Aunt & Uncle. My brother was driving my Aunt crazy with his crying, so she put him on her lap when she sat down to eat dinner. She reports that he physically shoved her hands away from her plate and began eating all the food on it! (Fortunately, she had made meatloaf and mashed potatoes!) It turns out that, after over-feeding me as a baby, my Mother was accidentally under-feeding my brother and he was simply starving for more food!

It unlikely that you are underfeeding your child, but I thought I would share, just in case. By the way, the entire family still laughs about this story, including my "poor, under-fed brother" who was not harmed or negatively impacted in any way! I hope your situation is solved just as easily. Best wishes.

K., my son had 'colic' for over a year. I would wonder why I brought him to life just to suffer. I even cried along with him. I believe he had several issues. This was 20 years ago, before I ever heard of babies with reflux. I nursed him for 6 months and would occasionally supplement with formula. I was at my wits end so by trial and error I found he was sensitive to sugar, especially high fructose corn syrup. Once I removed all sugar from our diet he greatly improved. I had to check all ingredients so it took longer to shop but it was worth it. Today there is much more info about 'the sugar blues' and products that are healthy substitutes are more readily available.

There is a great book out there called, Baby Matters: What Doctors Don't Tell You and talks about the real reason behind colic and acid reflux. It is the first sign of food sensitivities. Colic in particular is a sign of a wheat and/or milk intolerance (per Dr. Sears). He is still TOO young to be getting cow's milk, they still have not developed the digestive enzymes to process this it. It really does happen right when they turn one years old. Another good source is Is This My Child? By Dr. Dorris Rapp, www.drrapp.com also talks about food sensitivities...since they can't tell us their tummies hurt, it comes out in other clues and signs, like colic, chronic ear infections, acid reflux, etc.

I plan on talking on these issues this evening at an infant nutrition seminar located in Chicago at Giggle, 2116 N. Halsted from 7p-8p. Feel free to contact me if you want more info.

I don't give my 2yr old cow's milk, I do give her a combo of rice and coconut milk, it is perfectly safe to substitute your milks when transitioning. I bet you will find relief by doing a food elimination diet for him. Kids under 2 need more proteins and fats in their diets anyways, since most carbs we give them have little or no nutrient value (Cheerios, gold fish crackers, gerber puffs...)

Sounds like he may benefit from some probiotics in his diet. I've attached my family health column below, if you go to the right of the screen and you'll see topics, click on probiotics and all the articles written about them is on there. The very first one I wrote on it, I talk about colic and site the source...

Hope that helps and good luck!

J. W. MPH
Maternal and Child Health Educator
Chicago Examiner Family Health
http://www.examiner.com/x-7158-Chicago-Family-Health-Exam...

K. - this sounds like a dairy allergy or intolerance. My dd (now 2 3/4) was born w/dairy allergy, but it took several months to find out. Her symptoms sound just like your sons. Pull all dairy from your diet. A few groups/sites that may help are: www.foodallergy.org, ____@____.com, ____@____.com, www.godairyfree.org. Please feel free to message me and I'll help you more. DO NOT give him any milk. If he's refusing it it is usually for a good reason, like it's harming his body. Please look this up and let me know if you have any more questions. I've been through all of it! - J.

Hi K.,

My heart goes out to you because I know how frustrating it can be. My son was colicky when he was younger, he is five and still has crying spells and tantrums, but it's better. He is five and I am waiting for him to get older,because I don't know if he will grow out of it. However, I would tell you to try everything: giving him a nice warm bath before bed, bed time story, classical music, J&J lavender/chamomile bathsoap, and a full-belly before bed. Also, try wrapping him up nice and warmly in a blanket. It will take time, but he will get better.

All the Best!

I'm in the camp that thinks this is some sort of food allergy. I experienced something like this with my son, but we were fortunately able to solve it at a much earlier age. I had breastfed my two daughters, and they were picture-perfect, pudgy and happy and sleepy with hardly any crying. My son, however, cried all the time. I knew that he was miserable and that something was wrong, but it took 3 trips to the pediatrician's office before they suggested that I try 4 days of Nutramigen (for food allergy issues) and keep pumping to keep up my milk supply so if Nutramigen didn't work I could go back to nursing. Well, it was like night and day. After the second bottle of Nutramigen, he fell asleep and didn't wake up for 12 hours. He did nothing but eat and sleep for about 2 days, and then when he finally woke up he was all smiles and happy. I was relieved that it was so clear cut because I didn't want to give up the health benefits of nursing unless it was obviously the right thing to do. It won't be so easy for your son since he is older and on some foods, but I think you could go to an allergist who could test for the most common allergens. You could limit your son's solids to the most basic foods and either eliminate the common allergens from your diet (easy to say, hard to do) or switch to a hypo-allergenic formula like Nutramigen. I know that your son likes to nurse, but he might not want to nurse so much if he didn't need so much comforting. My little guy never looked back, although he was only 12 weeks old so it wasn't really the same. We went for allergy testing at 6 months based on our experiences, and my son was positive for nuts, egg and soy. I was shocked, but it is good to know and he is happy and healthy now. Good luck!

First of all, K., kudos to you for surviving 11 months with a crying baby. That is SO difficult for so many reasons. I feel for you and your little guy.

You've gotten all kinds of advice here and I just want to agree with the suggestion that you look into another pediatrician who will refer you to a specialist. Or if you really like your MD, to go in and let them know that 11 months is too long for a baby to cry and you need some additional attention now. Something is up, whether it's food allergies, reflux or something else. My girlfriend just had specialists look at her son to try to find the cause of his reflux. There were all kinds of tests they did to pinpoint the problem and the therapy. You and your son deserve the same opportunity to find out what is wrong. While you are trying some of the food elimination suggestions for both of your diets, start doing some research whether online or through friends for some new medical avenues to pursue. There's an answer out there somewhere. Best of luck to you. I hope you find a way to start making things better for you both soon.

At one year old my son was finally diagnosed with reflux. Once we put him on Previcide (perscrition) - chewable. We smashed it and added it to his food. He became a totally different kid. We also taught him sign language and it took 3 months to have him finally sign back to us. That alone releaved a lot of stress because he was able to communicate and let us know what he wanted. The trick is you need to sign to him everytime you do what it is you want him to learn. The first few signs we taught him were milk, cookie, more, all done, and tired. We tried the "hurt" sign, but that one was hard to teach him because we first had to figure out what hurt him and then sign it... so I'd avoid that one There are lots of free sites and you can rent Signing Times with Rachel (can't remember her last name), but she has a daughter by the name of Alex who is deaf. Even to this day, my kids love watching thier videos. Your child may also be latose intollerant and if he is, that may be causing him lots of pain. Maybe it's time to see a different pediatrician.

Good luck.

All 3 of my daughters had reflux..Zantac helped, but you need to see a Ped GI. If he has reflux that is likely why he's not eating or sleeping. The acid is burning his throat. It is often worse for reflux babies to lie day-it aggravates their reflux. They also tend to have food sensitivities as well. Mine were on Zantac and Nutramigen and they helps but my advice would be to see a Ped GI to find the right combination for your baby. Good luck!!

I give you credit for all your patience. That is a long time to listen to an unhappy baby. My daughter had reflux and was crying and fussy for a few months and I thought I was at the end of my rope. We tried Zantac, but it didn't really work, but Prevacid made her a new baby. It took about 2 weeks for her esophagus to heal and then... she was happy! I can't believe your doctor didn't try something sooner to help the reflux if he is the one who said it was the problem. I hope he's better soon!

Hi K. -
Hang in there and as soon as you can get him an appt. for a developmental screening at Easter Seals or call your local Early Intervention Office (Dept. of Human Svcs.). The screening will be free and may determine if your little guy has sensory issues. The world can be a scary and overwhelming place for toddlers with these issues and perhaps they can shed some light on it and get you the help both of you need. Not all doctors are trained to diagnose these things (I now have a wonderful one; but my eldest suffered terribly and it was great to know I wasn't crazy). Take care and good luck!

Erikson Institute, well-respected for graduate-level early childhood courses and research, sponsors a source of support for parents: the Fussy Baby Network. You might want to check it out: http://www.erikson.edu/fbn.aspx.

K.,
Have they tried any medications? Our son was colicky due to reflux and our pediatrician prescribed reglan and zantac. He was like a new baby after we started the meds and we slowly weaned him off around one year.

If nursing comforts him I'd say keep doing that. It is pretty easy to get a kid to stop biting. Just say NO BITING and put him down if he bites. In another minute you can pick him up and offer him your breast again. If he bites a second time he's done for now. You will likely only need to do this a couple times before he gets the message. I agree that perhaps there are some things you could eliminate from your diet (dairy and caffiene are two that often help) that might improve his mood. Ultimately though, each kid has his or her own disposition. He may be a more needy baby and you have an older child at home too and that can be tough to balance. Does picking him up help? Can you wear him in an Ergo or similar, or sit him in your lap while you do things with your daughter? How is he if you have just one on one time with him as opposed to having both of them at the same time?

You may want to check out "Your Fussy Baby" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. I haven't read that book but I did read "Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child" and it helped me a lot.

Hi K.,

How awful! I second (third) the recommendations to have him checked for food allergies. It is possible that he is ingesting something that is really disagreeing with his body, and he's in pain...it's so hard when they can't communicate their problems, isn't it?

Here are some things to ask as you consider getting him checked for allergies: does he have unexplained eczema? Does it seem to flare up after ingesting allergens of any kind (and that list can be long!)? Does he have allergy symptoms without seeming to be sick? (i.e. coughing, but doesn't seem to be sick) My son has egg allergies, and we had no idea, but whenever I nursed him after I ate eggs, his eczema would flare up. Of course, I picked this up in hindsight. Too, he was an incredibly fussy newborn, and I think a lot of that had to do with what I was eating and then passing along to him.

I wish you well in your journey and hope that little boy is happy soon for you!

T.

Hi there,
Looks like you have lots of good advice already but wanted to add my experience. Both my girls had "colic" (which I am convinced just means the docs have no idea what is wrong) and as it turns out had acid reflux. My youngest outgrew it at 10 months of age. My oldest daughter is 3.5 yrs old and still has it. So your boy could still have reflux but you might as well look into allergies as well it sounds. It wouldnt' hurt a thing to give Prevacid a try for two weeks and see if he turns into a happy kid. If not, then it probably isn't reflux and you search for another answer. But don't give up. You cannot go on like this. Believe me I know! My first cried/screamed all day until she was 5 months old and the ER doc thought it sounded like reflux. Gee thanks Peds- since they just told me to deal with the colic. My 3.5 yr old will still have screaming episodes from pain in the middle of the night. Hang in there and I will be thinking of you and your little one.

Hi K.

When my son was about 4 months old, I experienced the same thing. I was nursing, and on advice of another mom, I eliminated dairy from my diet, completely. My son's crying stopped immediately. Turns out he was unable to digest the dairy and that made him very uncomfortable. I was so grateful to the mom who gave me that advice, so I certainly hope it works for you.

ps - He is now 4 1/2 and has no problems with dairy.

Best,

L.

I put my bets on food allergies.

I'm so sorry you've had to deal with this for so long--you must be exhausted. (((Big hugs from Lake County!!!!)))

K.,

When my husband & I got engaged we bought our house. Two days before our wedding our neighbors had their second son. He cried all of the time! It never stopped! I hated to be outside when the windows were open because all I could hear was the baby crying. I had never (taught preschool in a daycare center) come across a baby that cried so much! I felt so bad for the mom. There did end up being something wrong & by 2 they finally got help because he was not walking (crawling & scootching everywhere) & speech was delayed. He is seven now and except for his speach he is fine! It's time to get a second opinion. If your dr won't listen to you, about the crying, you need to find someone who will. At the very least find a pediatrician who will do a complete work up on your son (or push your own dr. to do something for you) If he is really crying that much, I would think, that there would have to be something wrong. It might even be something as simple as an allergy test. Don't give up, and although is easier said than done, try not to stress out. Make sure you are getting out of the house, without the baby, even if it's just to go grocery shopping. Your happy baby is in there somewhere, you just need to help him find his happiness.

A mom I know brought her baby to Homefirst medical group for a food sensitivity/allergy test. It is non-invasive, no needles, painless. She eliminated the allergens as best she could and her son is MUCH better, much happier. For locations, type in www.homefirst.com. They do accept insurance, not sure if it covers the test but I'm sure it would be well worth it.
(I would definitely NOT want my child on meds if it could be something as simple as food!)

Hope you get some peace soon.

Sounds like my daughter! Finally were we reffered to allergist. Problem solved. She has a dairy allergy. Which in hindsight it makes sooo much sense. Please see an allergist and hopefully you will find the answer to your problem. Good luck! Let us know what you decide to do! I hope what ever you do you and your little guy are happy once again!

***Any update? Did you try an allergist?***

Well-I disagree with crying it out and it is your sons way of communicating that something is wrong and the crying actually makes it worse. There is not such thing as acid reflux or colic. It is actually a food intolerance. Usually what happens is that a child that has your son's symptoms has a problems with dairy (which I do not blame him for refusing it) and/or gluten and it is usually a combo of both. Plus the body is not meant to digest either. Do a food elimination and this solves about 95% of these problems. Go gluten and dairy free and in 3 days you will be amazed. Traders Joes has a whole list of gluten free products. It takes 90 days for gluten to leave the body and if it is an intolerance, you have to be really careful of what he eats. That mean no fast food and you are going to have to make other choices on what he eats when you are away from home.

Let me know if you have any more questions and you can google gluten free eating/diets, etc....it is actually a much smoother switchover now with all of the great products out there.

Hi K.,

I didn't read all of the responses before sending but I did see one similar to what I was going to respond. Anyway, my son and daughter both were the same way; however we suffered through it with my son and then 7 years later when we had our daughter after going through the same thing, we realized that she also has food allergies. She is allergic to milk and eggs. Once we got her switched things were much better for our family. Our daughter will be 3 in March and we found out she had food allergies when she was about a year and a half.

Good luck to you

Hi K.,
My vote is to see a pediatric allergist and get skin testing done. I am betting it is food sensitivities or allergies. I have one child out of 4 that had similar issues but also with hives. I had him tested and turned out he had food allergies so sensitive he was getting it through my milk. Being 11 months what kind of eating diet do you have him on? My bet would be with MILK that is at the TOP of the allergy lists it affects kids in diffrent ways. You would have to remove everything with milk from your and his diet! Pretty easy to do since I have been through it! My baby also had the CRYING...once I got the milk out of my diet and his it was GONE! Dealing with avoidence can be overwhelming untill you have been throught. My advice is to keep his diet as simple and as nutritional as possible..Think how we grew up..Fruits and Vegetables some meat and no processed foods! I have a great allergist that did my sons testing in Geneva, Gutt and Meyer...let me know if you would like the number! My advice would be get to an allergist first before making any changes...avoidence diets are almost impossible. It's easier to get him tested and then go from there! If it turns out he does have food allergies, I would be glad to help with what substitues worked for us! Best wishes and hang in there!

For Colic - a little baking soda will do the trick. For babies, slightly wet your pinky finger and quickly dip the tip into the baking soda and then let the baby suck it off. They don't have to take it all, any that gets in is good. Follow with a bottle of water. It does in and starts to settle down their stomach. I was told too much intake of cold air was a factor in infant colic. For your older kid, esp one that's biting, a little on a spoon quickly followed by water. Good sounds to hear are passing gas top or bottom. Since he's been this way for 11 mos. may take a little while to get rid of the crankiness, as it's now a norm to him but he will come around. Your continued patience will be rewarded and some of your hair will be spared.

Never experience the reflex so no advice for that, sorry.

Signed Been there and Done That

Have you tried changing your diet? 2 of my 3 kids had dairy sensitivity. Everytime I ate any dairy, they were colicky and wouldn't sleep the next day. I had to eliminate all butter, chocolate, many breads, cereals, pastries, yogurt, waffles, etc. Once I did that they were known as the happiest babies. I frquently get compliments on how smiley my babies are.

There are many jars of baby food with dairy too.

Wheat is also a common sensitivity too.

If you try to eliminate something, give it about a week until you see any major changes.

Good luck!

I hope you find your happy baby!

HI K.,

I had experience with colic for 4 -8 mo and acid reflux with my son until he was 16 mo old. I b/f him until he was ready to ween at 13 mo. He too would not take formula and needed to eat small amounts more frequently and them be position in a upright position for 30 minutes b/f sleeping. I would schedule an appointment with a GI specialist. Also, if you feel you Ped isn't addressing the issues correctly don't be afraid to change. There are many doctors out there that take these issues seriously, and others that ignore it. Just as a side note, Previcid worked best for my son's acid reflux, and tylenol/motrin before bed for the teething pain - it really made a huge difference.

ok first breathe! A few thoughts...he is probably getting his molars which is why he is nursing so often to relieve the pain (nursing is a natural pain reliever) Another thought it trying chiropractic services for your child. Some, and not all, but some reflux issues are related to the baby not being in line after either the birth process or while smushed in the womb. I would look for a chiro that specializes in children. I know you are thinking OMG I cant let them crack his back! I promise it is NOT like that for kids AT ALL! Also a mom knows her kid so the doc probably thinks you are overacting, but you know your kid isnt acting right and he is probably not sleeping due to pain so to leave him in pain to cry it out is terrible! Maybe hold off on the weaning until you figure out his health issues? Weaning is going to bring a whole bunch of more issues and I dont think you can add it to your plate right now. Is their a reason you are weaning so soon (if it is the biting make it clear, by removing him when he bites immediately from the breast, he will get it...) Also have you looked into food allergies and sensitivities as well? Reflux can be related to this as well. Good luck

That's a long time to have to deal with this... usually reflux clears up way before that. I am sorry you are going through this... It sounds very familiar to what I was going through many many months ago. My doctor didn't have too many recommendations either, but through other moms I eventually found the problem. My son was crabby all the time and didn't sleep well and never took naps. I was nursling as well and he was a disaster most of the time. I felt guilty all the time because I couldn't make him feel better or be happy. After many discussions and I even gave up nursing and tried different formulas.... my own mom told me to try soy formula. Within a week ( literally) I had a BRAND NEW baby. He was happy all the time and sleeping too! My doctor didn't think he had a dairy allergy due to his symptoms or lack of symptoms I guess. He was just crabby and not sleeping. It has been a godsent for us and now he's 14 months old and I am still doing soy for him. I plan to introduce dairy eventually, but am nervous he will turn back into the cranky baby. Who could blame him... he obviously had a tummy ache all the time. Maybe it's worth a try???? You could take ALL dairy out of your diet if you want to continue nursing or try Similac Soy formula... At this point I would think it's worth a try?????? Good luck! I feel for you!

ooooo that reminds me of my son.
average 4 hrs of SCREAMING.
food allergies.
we had no idea how much he was allergic to; dairy/soy/egg/nuts...
anyrate. the doc didn't help but teh allergist did.
he was a totally new kid.
that was at 6 months.
he's over 4 now and outgrew the majority of his allergies.

i don't buy into the cholic. to me that means its something they don't know but it includes gas. just something medical science hasn't figured out yet.

good luck!
the skin test doesn't hurt, just gotta keep em from scratching. i just took my 19 month in today to find out she's allergic to a food she eats every other day.

mystery solved with her too : )

If you feel in your gut that something is wrong, I would go to another doctor, and I would keep going until someone gives me an answer. Good Luck