Colic
Colic is an unexplained long episode of crying in a healthy baby, and it affects about 20% of all infants. The baby seems to cry for no reason. This usually occurs in the evening for three or more hours at a time. Sometimes it can be scary to watch. And unfortunately, there is no explanation for why this happens.
Read more about colic in our recommended source
Whether you are a first time mom or an experienced au pair, a baby with colic can be both stressful and frustrating. As a caregiver, you want to help the baby, but you can’t. Read about one mother’s experience here:
A few weeks after Lily was born, there seemed to be a sudden change in her behavior. From 4 pm until around 8 pm each night my little Lily would scream and cry and there was no way to calm her down. It sounded like she would be in terrible pain, but there was no way to fix it. I tried everything. Feeding her, changing her, singing to her. I called doctors and my own mother. My little girl was healthy, but was colic. There is no cure. I just had to be patient and figure out how to ease some of her discomfort. For my little girl it was riding in her stroller. I would often push the stroller from room to room inside my apartment. And one day, as 4 pm came along the crying didn’t start! Jenn, host mom from Ohio
Some soothing techniques might include gentle rocking motions, steady humming or swaddling the infant. But it isn’t up to you as an au pair to figure out how to calm a colicky baby. Parents will speak with the doctor and rule out any real illness or issue, and they will be the ones to test different ways to make sure the baby is comfortable.
The important message here is that a colicky baby is normal and it can be a difficult time for caregivers or for parents. You will learn more about how to handle the stress that can come from this type of situation in a stress management workshop at the training school.
icon-15According to the American Red Cross, even if an infant isn’t colicky it is still common for a baby to cry for 1 to 3 hours per day.