SWITCHING BABY’S BOTTLE SHOWN TO EASE THE SYMPTOMS OF COLIC 

A recent colic survey carried out by Consumer Analysis Ltd., revealed that the third most common treatment for baby’s colicky symptoms, after giving medicine and using massage, was to change the feeding bottle used to another brand. 

Of the   28% of mums who changed their baby’s bottle to an alternative brand, 43% chose Dr Brown’s Natural Flow feeding system as their number one choice.  Amazingly, three quarters, (75%) who used this brand went on to report an improvement in their baby’s colic symptoms, a result  completely outperforming all the other brands used. 35% also stated that it worked instantly – after just one feed with over half, (53%) seeing an improvement within a day in their baby’s colicky symptoms.  

The survey also revealed that almost half of all babies in the UK will suffer with colic in their early weeks and months, yet the condition still remains poorly understood. There is no known cure for colic but there are a wide range of medicinal remedies available which the survey revealed were not always welcomed by mums. In fact, 46% of them reported they were concerned about giving medicine to such young babies.  

The constant crying associated with ‘colicky’ babies proved distressing for parents, with the study revealing that many parents failed to understand why their well-fed and healthy baby wouldn’t stop crying. It showed that even if they did recognise that their baby had colic many didn’t know what to do about it or who to turn to.  

Many mums reported getting very different messages from their health professionals on how to treat their baby’s colic.  Seemingly unable to agree on the best course of action to take, some GP’s avoided prescribing medicines altogether, whilst others believed it to be the best solution. Many recommended gripe water and rubbing the baby’s tummy or back.  Subsequently, frustrated and sleep-deprived mums reported being left to their own devices, trying out multiple different ‘cures’. Some of the more obscure remedies noted included, boiling cumin seeds and giving the baby the water, while some breast-feeding mums had tried drinking fennel tea to solve the problem.  

Mums who opted to change their bottles to Dr Brown’s Natural Flow feeding system also reported that their baby appeared not to be sucking in as much air as with other brands. Many said that they had tried all sorts of colic remedies to no avail before switching to this brand. Improvements were seen with some of the other brands of bottles used, but often mums couldn’t be certain if it was the bottle that had made the difference or not, as they were using other ‘methods’ at the same time, such as    anti colic teats, drops or medicine. However, they did report that Dr Brown’s Natural Flow had resulted in the quickest improvements, noticing a marked difference after an average of 5.4 feeds.  

Key findings revealed:  

o        Dr Brown’s Natural Flow was the first choice (43%) for mums changing their baby’s bottle to relieve the symptoms of colic.

o        Three quarters of babies with colic (75%) whose mums changed to Dr Brown’s Natural Flow saw improvement in their colicky symptoms after their bottles were changed.

o        Only two out of five mums with young babies (42%) could correctly name one or more of the symptoms of colic.

o        According to mums in the survey, the most well known sign of colic is the baby’s legs curling up to their stomach (26%), followed by long periods of crying (23%).

o        Colic led 62% of mums to be frustrated that they couldn’t solve the problem, 29% felt that the crying caused a lot of stress in the household an a fifth (20%) felt guilty because they thought that they were doing something wrong.

o        Concerned mums were more likely to turn to their health visitor than their mum for advice about their colicky baby (47% vs. 29%).

Consumer Analysis Ltd http://www.c-a-g.co.uk/  undertook this survey, commissioned by Central Medical Supplies Ltd http://www.centralmedical.co.uk   with a view to producing a set of independent, practical recommendations for a better understanding of colic, its symptoms and remedies. Taking place in May 2010, 1000 respondents took part across 12 UK regions.