ta •

°pith

Cr
Bab

leave the package. He licked
the glue on the envelope flap
and stuck it to the door.
The note worked; the de-
vice didn't
Ours is not an unusual tale.
Numbers kept by the leading
pediatric organization reveal
the number of children who
suffer from colic each year is
about 20 percent
Crying is normal in babies.
According to the American
Academy of Pediatrics' Caring
For Your Baby And Young
Child, "the length of this fuss-
n the front door of
ing usually peaks at about
my house is a small
three hours a day by 6 weeks
amount of adhesive
and then declines to one or
in the shape of an
two hours a day by 3 months."
envelope, the last remaining evi-
However, if the crying doesn't
dence of my son's four-month
stop but gets worse and contin-
battle with colic.
ues through the day, it may be
The adhesive made it to the
colic.
door on a dreary and dark day in
Scientists have not extracted a
January. Desperation pushed me
definitive cause for the condition,
to call and order a Sleep Tight
but researchers say it could be an
device.
immature gastrointestinal or ner-
My husband and I had tried
vous system, an allergy to certain
everything to soothe our then-5-
foods or both.
week-old son, whom we nick-
It could be a sign in a breast-
named "Lobster Boy" because of
fed baby of sensitivity to the food
the color he would turn during
the mother is consuming. Other
his constant crying.
causes include a hernia or an ill-
Nothing worked.
ness; this is why it is important to
As a last resort, we called the
consult a pediatrician regarding
number. The manufacturer said it
the crying.
was effective in reducing the
The good news is that children
symptoms of colic in more than
eventually outgrow colic; the
90 percent of children. Strapped
usual duration is three months.
to the bottom of the crib, the de-
It eventually ended with my
vice operates by gently vibrating
son, although not right away. My
the crib while a tape machine
sister, whose son was also col-
plays the sound of a car traveling
icky, assured me that Jonah
at 55 miles an hour.
would wake up one day after
The manufacturer promised,
three months and be a different,
for an extra fee, to ship it
happier child. When he was 3
overnight As I said, I was desper-
months and one day, I called her
ate — but I couldn't be home to
up, and with Jonah screaming in
sign for the package.
the background, left a one-word
Joel, my husband, wrote a
message on her answering ma-
note on the back of an envelope,
chine.
Liar.
instructing the delivery man to

your

child
won t
stop
crying.

r

Will nothing
help little
Jonah?
(And who will
soothe his
parents?)

THE APPLETREE

JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR
STAFF WRITER

24

It

17

Li

1. A battery-powered or
wind-up swing.

Jonah eventually outgrew colic and
lived to smile about it.

2. A vibrating chair like Fish-
er Price's Bounce Seat.
3. Swaddle the child in a blanket

4. Take the child for a ride in the car or in a stroller. The
change of pace can do wonders.

5. Offer a pacifier. Extra sucking can calm even the crabbiest
infant

6. Cradle the child face down with the heal of the hand in
the area of the child's bowels, the forearm supporting the
head and upper body. This is known as the colic hold.

7. Strap the child in a car seat and place the car seat safely on
the top of a clothing dryer. The vibrations, noise and heat are
soothing to some children. Provide constant supervision; a vi-
brating machine can jostle the seat into a precarious position.
8. White noise works wonders for some children. Run a vac-
uum cleaner or clothing dryer.

9. A front-pack carrier cannot only offer comfort for the child
but also provide a hands-free way of carrying him around.

10.Just as a warm bath can soothe the mom, so, too, does it
work for some children.

11.Infant massage can help relieve the child of some of his
tension.

12.Leave the child with a trusted adult and take off for an
hour or two A refreshed parent generally has an easier time
dealing with the crying.

13.When all else fails, put the child safely in his crib and
leave the room for 15 minutes. Go somewhere in the house
where the crying can't be heard and relax.