Foods to avoid when baby has colic

What Foods Help With Baby Colic? | Colic Blog | Babocush

When your baby seems perfectly healthy, has no obvious signs of distress and yet cries continually, they may be suffering from colic. Colic is prolonged bouts of excessive, frequent crying for no apparent reason, although some abdominal discomfort is thought to accompany it due to the way many babies draw their knees up when they cry which would indicate trapped wind. These episodes can be very distressing for both baby and parent, and can last for several weeks.

When are the typical signs of colic?

Normal crying typically starts when your little one is about 2 weeks old. When babies develop colic, it's usually between 2 and 4 weeks of age. About 1 in 5 babies end up suffering with colic. Other symptoms typically include:

Crying inconsolably for long periods of time.
Some babies with colic experience bloated tummies, however not always.
Babies with colic often pull their knees up to their chest and go red in the face
Although there may be other causes, babies with colic often have a distinctive, high-pitched cry.

Diet-related colic

One thing you might not have thought about is the foods you're putting into your body. Breastfeeding mothers can normally eat whatever they want, however some newborns are intolerant to certain foods. The essential criteria for a good post-natal diet is to eat foods that are soothing, comforting, and nutritious. Slow-cooked foods, such as soups and stews, are recommended, as is avoiding too much raw food and limiting meals consumed straight from the refrigerator or freezer. Anything too harsh that passes through the mother's milk could harm a baby's developing gut. Colic-causing foods can enter your breast milk and upset your baby as early as two hours after you eat, with potential irritants being:

Dairy products

Milk, cheese, yoghurt, and ice cream are examples of dairy products. Cow's milk is known to be a main source of diet-related colic. Cow's milk proteins quickly enter breast milk, which is usually a positive thing because it familiarises your baby with these proteins early on, setting them up for when they’re weaned. Colic can, however, be caused by a sensitivity to cow's milk.

If you feel this is the case, try avoiding dairy products for 7-10 days to see if you notice a difference. If your baby's behaviour hasn't improved, gradually reintroduce the food again. If you see a difference and are concerned about your calcium intake, consult a nutritionist about different ways to get calcium, such as through leafy greens, broccoli, edamame, sardines, figs, oranges and calcium-fortified products.

Caffeine

Soft drinks, chocolate, coffee, tea, energy drinks, and some medicines all contain caffeine, and if you consume enough of it, your baby may develop colic. Many mums find that giving up caffeine can produce instant positive changes to their baby’s behaviour.

Spicy foods

Theres a distinct taste in your breast milk after you’ve eaten a spicy dinner. This is because traces of spice have found their way into your milk supply. This is fine for most babies and helps them get used to new tastes, but for others, even the tiniest amount of spice can be enough to make them uncomfortable. If you've ever had heartburn after eating spicy food, this is considerably more likely to be the case.

Grains and nuts

Fats from cereals, nuts, seeds, avocados, and olives are essential for keeping your baby's skin healthy, although they can occasionally induce colic. Wheat, corn, peanuts, and soy are the most typical culprits.

Gassy foods

You've probably experienced the unpleasant side-effects of a meal high in gassy vegetables like broccoli, onions, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage. Gas can cause a lot of discomfort in the stomach, and if your baby is particularly sensitive to it, eliminating gassy foods could be the answer.

Tracking down colic-causing foods

Determining whether the food you eat could be causing your baby’s colic is achieved with a simple three-step process:

Step 1. Keep a record

You can develop associations between food and discomfort by keeping track of what you eat and when and how long your baby experiences colic episodes. Keep track of any changes in your baby's behaviour, such as fussiness, weeping, bloating, constipation, or diarrhoea, nocturnal wakings that aren't explained, or reddening around the anus.

Step 2. Eliminate foods

You can now rule out the suspect source after establishing a correlation between food and behaviour. Try to avoid this food for 10 to 14 days then check to see whether your baby's colic symptoms are lessening or disappearing. Return to step one if nothing has changed. Continue to step three if the symptoms improve.

Step 3. Challenge the result

If your baby's symptoms have gone away, cautiously reintroduce the source to test it. If the symptoms return within 24 hours, remove this meal from your diet temporarily. Continue to challenge the food supply at regular intervals until you've determined it's safe to eat again. Most babies are only temporarily intolerant of certain foods, so declaring a meal off-limits may unnecessarily deprive you and your baby of a vital source of nutrition.

Maintaining an anti-colic diet

To help reduce any chance of colic, there are a number of foods that you can limit or avoid during the six weeks leading up to birth and the 2-3 months that follow. These include berries, grapes, stone fruit, strawberries, mangoes, cabbage, tomatoes, lentils, garlic, pineapple, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cucumber, radish, cauliflower, raw onion, strong herbs and spices, powdered yeast and stimulants (tea, coffee, chocolate and alcohol).

There are also some foods that will encourage a healthy gut and can help prevent symptoms of colic. These include apples, pears, asparagus, carrot, celery, kale, corn, bananas, papaya, celery, beetroot, pumpkin, zucchini, mushrooms, teas (chamomile, dandelion, fennel and cardamom), bone broths and apple cider vinegar.

There is no recognised “cure” for colic, although you may see some reduction in symptoms if you use a trial-and-error strategy. You may find that one thing works or that it is the consequence of a combination of circumstances, but be prepared to wait it out. Your baby will grow out of it eventually, and having a baby with colic has nothing to do with your parenting. Colic can affect any infant at any moment, and although it's natural to feel frustrated and upset, you should never feel responsible for your child's suffering.

Related Blogs:

Do Breastfed Babies Get Colic?
How Can I Tell My Baby Has Colic?

Foods to Avoid to Prevent Colic

An expecting or new mother fears a lot of possible future scenarios, but one of the more common and everyday issues that she is, unfortunately, more likely to face is also one of the most mysterious, baffling, and frustrating: colic, which one in five infants are said to have. In this article, we’ll go over the definition of colic as well as the link it has to diet - namely, the mother’s. We’ll offer tips for how you can modify your diet, including foods to avoid during breastfeeding, to prevent colic.

What is Colic?

Colic is one of the more challenging problems a new parent can face. It’s when your new baby cries in a prolonged, intense, and frequent way despite being otherwise healthy. Colicky babies most often have their episodes in the evening, making it even tougher on already-tired parents who desperately want peace and quiet. Naturally, it’s heartbreaking to watch your baby suffer and not know why, and colic is all the more frustrating because it doesn’t seem to have any particular cause and no amount of soothing seems to help.

Does Your Baby Have Colic?

Defined as an infant crying intensely for three or more hours a day, three or more days a week, for three or more weeks, colic usually peaks when an infant is about six weeks old and declines after they reach three or four months of age. It can happen to any baby: breastfed or formula-fed, male or female, premature or full-term.

Symptoms of colic include:

- Intense, often high-pitched crying that resembles screaming or an expression of pain

- Crying that doesn’t seem to be tied to any particular reason such as needing to be fed or get a diaper change

- Intense fussiness that continues even after the crying stops or declines

- Predictable timing of crying episodes that occur especially in the late afternoon or early evening

- Facial discoloration such as a reddened face or pale mouth

- Body tension in the legs, arms, fists, back, or abdomen

- Colic episodes followed by a bowel movement or passing of gas that may bring temporary relief

- The baby closing their eyes tight or opening them wide, furrowing their brow, or even holding their breath

- Crying that disrupts eating and sleeping patterns

It’s important to note that colic is a condition that occurs in otherwise healthy babies. If your baby is intensely crying on a regular basis, it’s important to rule out the possibility of a non-colic cause that is leading to pain or discomfort in your baby, such as illness. If your infant experiences excessive crying, you should schedule an appointment with your doctor to see if an underlying cause can be found instead of assuming that it must be colic. Together, you will be able to determine if your baby does indeed have colic.

Can Your Diet Really Upset Your Breastfed Baby?

While the causes of colic are unknown, there is much speculation about what may lead to this condition. Theories for potential reasons include an imbalance of healthy gut bacteria, childhood migraine, overstimulated senses, acid reflux, an undeveloped digestive system, food allergy, and tobacco exposure.

Another popular theory is that colic may be tied to the diet of the breastfed baby’s mother. According to WebMD, “A study published in the [November 2005] issue of Pediatrics suggests that excluding highly allergenic foods from a nursing mother's diet could reduce crying and fussiness in her newborn's first six weeks of life. ”

There are several reasons to believe this may be the case. First, it’s known that the diet of a breastfeeding mother does affect the infant. If the mother consumes something that upsets the stomach of the newborn, this can lead to discomfort and crying. There also seems to be a link between colic and gastrointestinal distress; colicky infants are often gassy and passing gas is often followed by relief.

There are, in fact, several studies that have shown that a change in the mother’s diet can lead to a significant diminishment of colic symptoms, namely in how long the babies cried each day. Other studies have found a link between the consumption of certain foods by the breastfeeding mother and colic in breastfed infants. Ultimately, research suggests that an elimination diet may help ease symptoms of colic.

Learn more: What to eat while breastfeeding

Foods to Avoid

Common Allergens

One category of colic foods to avoid while nursing is those that many people have an allergy to, such as:

- Cow’s milk

- Eggs

- Wheat

- Peanuts, tree nuts

- Soy

- Fish

With cow’s milk being the most common infant allergy. In one 2005 study, 74% of breastfed babies whose mothers ate a low-allergen diet eliminating all of the above ingredients showed significant improvement in colic.

Cruciferous Foods

Another type of colic baby breastfeeding food to avoid is the category of foods that often creates a lot of intestinal gas, namely cruciferous vegetables. This includes cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and brussels sprouts. One 1996 study found that mothers who ate diets high in cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli were more likely to have colicky babies. As these foods are high in fructans, which are difficult to digest, they can cause gas and bloating.

Unhealthy Foods

It is often assumed that foods that are unhealthy for adults will also be unhealthy if they make it into a breastfed baby’s diet, which is why many sources recommend that breastfeeding mothers looking to reduce colic should avoid unhealthy foods such as highly-processed foods and foods high in saturated or trans fats.

While it is debatable whether chocolate is healthy for you or not, with dark chocolate in particular often being cited as a healthy food, the same 1996 study that linked certain cruciferous vegetables with colic also found that mothers who ate a lot of chocolate were more likely to have colicky babies. However, it isn’t specified which type of chocolate, and it very well may be that milk chocolate may have this effect due to containing cow’s milk. It’s also thought that the problem may be the acidity of chocolate, which can cause acid reflux.

Breastfeeding Diet for a Colic-Free Baby

While various sources may name a list of foods to eat while breastfeeding to avoid colic, there isn’t any scientific evidence pointing to the possibility that including certain particular foods in your diet can help colic. That being said, it is reasonable to conclude that a generally healthy lifestyle and diet with a variety of nutritious foods is what will be best for the mother and, in turn, the baby.

As such, a healthy diet for breastfeeding mothers to avoid colic may include:

- Plenty of water to stay hydrated

- Fruits and non-cruciferous vegetables

- Whole grains

- Lean proteins

- Mushrooms

- Tea

- Apple cider vinegar

It’s particularly worth noting that there have been studies that have shown that probiotics can help colic by helping infants form a protective barrier against harmful bacteria and stimulating the immune system. One 2007 study found that “colic improved in a dramatic 95% of babies given Lactobacillus reuteri once per day for 1 month.” While it is not wise to begin a course of probiotics on your own, it may be something worth speaking to your doctor about.

If you want to go the more natural route, foods high in probiotics include:

- Yogurt

- Kefir

- Kombucha

- Sauerkraut

- Pickles

- Miso

- Tempeh

- Kimchi

- Sourdough bread

- Some cheeses

However, because many of these contain common allergens like dairy, wheat, and soy, kombucha has alcohol in it, and sauerkraut and kimchi are based on the cruciferous vegetable cabbage, you may not want to take the risk of eating them. For that reason, a doctor-approved probiotic dietary supplement might be the best route for mums who are considering probiotics as a solution to colic.

If you do decide to change your diet in response to colic, especially if you want to start probiotics or try an elimination diet, it’s important to consult a medical professional such as a dietitian, who can monitor you and your baby’s nutrition and health and make personalised recommendations.

At the end of the day, the unfortunate truth is that there is no “cure” for colic. However, you can be reassured by the fact that - diet change or no diet change - colic doesn’t last forever; there is an end in sight. Colic is not your fault and while you can do your best to treat it, you should never feel guilty that it is happening. Do your best, take care of yourself and your baby to the best of your ability, and - sooner or later - the colic will pass.

Have questions about breastfeeding, pregnancy, or postpartum? Ask Lola&Lykke Experts, completely free of charge.

Breastfeeding diet

A woman's life changes with the birth of a child. All other problems fade into the background. The main goal is to take care of the baby. In order for a child to grow up strong and healthy, he needs good nutrition. Breastfeeding allows the baby to receive a vital complex of vitamins and nutrients. However, so that when breastfeeding the baby does not have additional problems in the form of colic or allergic reactions, the mother needs to follow a diet while breastfeeding.

Why a diet is needed

Balanced nutrition

Is a diet really necessary when breastfeeding?

In order for the child to get enough nutrients, the mother needs to eat foods rich in vital vitamins and minerals.

Please note! The mother's diet should be based on the principles of a healthy diet.

Do not go to extremes. Knowing that she takes food not only for herself, but also for the child, many women begin to eat 2 times more. This has a detrimental effect on the health of a woman due to excessive stress. Or, in an effort to return to their usual forms after the birth of a baby, women go on a strict diet. It also adversely affects the quality of breast milk.

Do not think that the diet of a nursing mother implies strict restrictions in everything. The main thing is to follow a proper and balanced diet.

Expert advice

Proper nutrition for breastfeeding women

In order for the baby to get all the necessary nutrients in sufficient quantities, and for the mother’s body to recover quickly after childbirth, it is recommended to follow the basic advice of breastfeeding experts:

Try to keep a daily routine and eat at the same time.
Try to eliminate processed foods, canned foods, smoked and spicy foods from your diet.
The mother's main diet should include the following useful substances: protein, carbohydrates, fats.
It is very useful to eat greens. It stimulates the gastrointestinal tract well.
If a mother experiences mild discomfort, dizziness, nausea while breastfeeding, she needs to drink a glass of warm compote or tea with biscuits or unsweetened pastries.

Allergy risk

Allergy risk

Many young mothers are concerned about the question: is it possible to eat foods that cause allergies while breastfeeding.

It is not recommended to eat foods that can cause allergies in the mother or child in the first months of his life. When the baby reaches the age of 4-5 months, you can gradually begin to introduce additional foods into the mother's diet.

Please note! Take them in small portions in the morning. After taking it, you should monitor the condition of the child for several days.

If there is no allergic reaction, you can continue to eat such foods.

If you notice that with the introduction of a new product in the diet, the baby's stool has changed, and a rash has appeared, postpone its use for several months.

Products - allergens

Foods that can cause an allergic reaction:

Citrus fruits
Coffee and cocoa
Chocolate and chocolates
Nuts
Eggs
Dairy products from cow's milk
Seafood

You can start eating them after the baby is six months old. At this age, the main allergens practically do not penetrate into the mother's milk and are safe for the baby.

It is worth remembering that if the child is prone to allergic reactions, it is necessary to continue natural breastfeeding as long as possible, and postpone the start of complementary feeding to a later date. Optimally - after 1 year.

Basic restrictions

What not to eat while breastfeeding

There are a huge number of products in the world that can cause irreparable harm to the health of not only the mother, but also the child. A nursing mother should be careful when eating.

Thus, the following foods should be completely excluded:

Foods that cause an allergic reaction
Soups with meat and fish broths
Pickled products
Sour food
Sweet dishes
Salty food
Garlic
Carbonated drinks

Apples, watermelon, melon, coffee can be consumed in limited quantities, provided that the child does not have an allergic reaction to these products.

Eliminate smoking, alcohol and drugs

For the formation of a healthy child's body, a nursing mother is strictly forbidden to use:

Alcohol
Narcotic substances

Remember that smoking is also harmful to the body of both mother and child.

Recommended products

Turkey cutlets

The main food should be rich in nutrients and contain the necessary amount of useful vitamins and minerals. What should a mother eat while breastfeeding?

Eat foods rich in protein. For example, fish, turkey, veal, rabbit. It is acceptable to eat lean pork.

Dairy products

Calcium is very useful for a child. It is found in the following products: cottage cheese, natural kefir, drinking yogurt, low-fat sour cream.
Food rich in fats. Their body receives from olive, vegetable and butter oils.
Fruit. They should be used with caution. You can start with apples, gradually adding other fruits to your diet. Make sure that they contain a minimum amount of acids.
Vegetables. Limit yourself to greenery. Other types of vegetables are best consumed boiled or in the form of stews.

Bread rolls

Flour products. It is highly recommended not to eat fresh white bread. Better buy dark bread, preferably bran. It should not be consumed fresh. Ideally, bread for the diet of a nursing mother should be yesterday's. Homemade shortbread cookies and bread are also allowed.
Sweet dishes. Give preference to natural products. They should contain a minimum amount of sugar. Allowed to use jam, marshmallow, marshmallows without chocolate, marmalade. Remember that sugary foods should be consumed in limited quantities.

Proper drinking

Drink more

Speaking about the diet of a nursing mother, one cannot but mention such an important aspect as the organization of drinking.

Please note! For the normal process of lactation of the mother, it is necessary to consume an increased amount of liquid per day.

So, to the usual 2 liters of fluid per day for a nursing mother, you need to add up to 1 liter of fluid per day. It doesn't have to be water. You can take the following types of drink:

Unsweetened compote
Tea
Milk
Natural juice

Increased fluid intake should be started gradually. At the same time, monitor the condition of your child.

Mother's diet and medicines

Medicines

A woman's body weakened by childbirth is susceptible to various diseases. In many cases, for their effective treatment, the doctor prescribes antibiotics. How will drugs affect the lactation process?

Ask a specialist if the prescribed medicine can be used while breastfeeding. If not, check if lactation-safe analogues of the drug can be taken.

Colic and the diet of a nursing mother will save the baby from colic!

Since the body of a newborn is not yet fully adapted to produce the enzymes necessary for participation in digestion, it is highly sensitive to a variety of substances, including mother's breast milk. In addition, the baby's intestines are just beginning their full formation.

Colic in infants occurs quite often, especially in the first three months of life, and one of the reasons for their occurrence is a consequence of the nutrition of a nursing mother. Therefore, so that the baby does not have any problems, pains and colic, the young mother should pay special attention to her diet and strictly adhere to the diet.

The diet of a nursing mother

The diet of a young mother should be as balanced as possible, because this is the only way to ensure that the child's body receives all the necessary nutritional enzymes along with breast milk. A balanced diet means that the food that the mother consumes should contain sufficient amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and other useful trace elements. In addition, the caloric content of food should always be strictly within the norm - within 3200-3500 kcal every day. This number of calories will be quite enough to produce the required amount of milk per day.

What is forbidden to eat for a nursing mother with flatulence in a child:

cucumber;
white cabbage;
bell pepper;
grapes;
pears;
raisins;
beans;
peas;
cow's milk;
carbonated drinks.

Let's take a closer look at what a young mother can eat and in what quantities.

The body of a nursing mother produces about 900 ml of milk per day. Therefore, her drinking regime is increased to at least two liters of fluid per day. The liquid that a woman will consume should be in the form of ordinary pure water, green and black teas (but very weak brewing), to which milk can be added in very small quantities.

All carbonated drinks, juices - both store-bought and natural homemade - should be strictly prohibited. Too sweet, fatty and oversalted foods should also remain out of the nursing diet for the time being.

If we talk about vegetables, then, unfortunately, they are also contraindicated in raw and fresh form. From vegetables, only white and green vegetables in baked or stewed form are allowed to be consumed. Colored vegetables can cause allergies. If we talk about fruits, then you can only eat apples, always peeled and also baked in the oven or microwave.

Doctors also recommend abstaining from dairy products. Only kefir is allowed in small portions. After some time, when you start to return to the use of dairy products, you need to do this gradually, while monitoring the reaction of the baby.
It is strictly forbidden to eat foods that cause gas formation in the intestines. These are products such as chocolate, legumes, cabbage of all kinds, whole milk and some other products.

At the same time, it is very necessary for a nursing mother to eat foods from which a woman can get useful calories. This is lean meat, seafood, vegetables and fruits (we talked about them above).

Do not worry if there are dishes or foods that you are crazy about on the list of forbidden foods for a nursing mother. Such a diet is temporary, not permanent, and all your favorite foods can soon be gradually returned to your diet.

If, even with such a diet, colic does not decrease after breast milk, this may indicate some violations or abnormalities in the body of a young mother. It is worth paying attention to chronic diseases - gastritis, dysbacteriosis, as well as stagnation of bile in the intestines, constipation. Due to such problems in the body, even the healthy food that the mother ate may not be fully absorbed, which means that in such an “unfinished” form, the product can be difficult to digest for the baby, which can cause allergies and colic.

A good way to keep track of your diet is to keep a food diary. So you can not only develop your own diet, but also take into account how your baby reacts to a particular food you eat. Changes in a newborn may appear in the following forms:

itching, rash or swelling of the skin;
runny nose, cough, difficulty breathing;
vomiting, regurgitation, presence of mucus, discoloration of the consistency, colic.

One diet may not be enough

After all, every mother has her own body and its own characteristics. Someone can adhere to the strictest diet, and the baby will feel great at the same time, he will not be bothered by colic and other symptoms of inadequate digestion of food. And for some, a strict diet will not be enough. If it is difficult for you to determine on your own at home what your baby is suffering from, seek medical advice and try, together with your doctor, to determine all possible causes of colic.

If you have already taken a product to which the body of the newborn does not react very positively, try the drug Colikid . Simethicone, which is part of the drug, is a kind of defoamer, since it is a non-toxic inert surfactant made on the basis of silicon. It affects the gas bubbles in the intestines of the newborn, changing their surface tension and leading to rupture. Simethicone is unique in that it is not absorbed by the mucous membrane of the digestive tract and is excreted from the body unchanged. In addition, it has a local effect.

Collicid Suspension is able to prevent the occurrence of image defects caused by gas bubbles, to prevent tearing of the contrast film even when the intestines are distended.

Before using the drug, you should carefully read the Instructions for Colikid in order to know the features of use and avoid possible side effects.