Tired of Baby’s Crying?

Babies who had been diagnosed with colic cried for about an hour less per day than expected when they were switched from a cow’s milk formula to a hypoallergenic formula in which the protein had been hydrolyzed (cut into little pieces that are less allergenic), according to a study published in the December 2000 issue of Pediatrics.

Forty percent of the babies no longer had colic after one week on the hypoallergenic formula (28% of those who didn’t switch formulas also outgrew the problem after a week, as expected). Some babies need time to grow to be able to digest some proteins.

Breast milk is the perfect food for young babies. If breastfed babies have colic, sometimes they outgrow the colic more quickly if the mother temporarily removes nuts, peanuts, and perhaps cow’s milk, eggs, or fish from the diet until the colicky baby’s system has had a chance to mature.