help please- infacol and gripe water.

[MiissMuffet]

I was wondering what the difference between these 2 are? I heard you have to give infacol BEFORE the feed- but how do you know if you need it or not? x

 

[polaris]

With Infacol you have to give it before every feed as it has to build up in the system to reach it's maximum effectiveness.
Gripe water I think you can just give it when needed.

 

[MiissMuffet]

How do you know if you are going to need it though? Or does it not matter as it doesn't have any harmful ingrediants? I also read somewhere you can't give gripe water to a newborn but infacol you can? Sorry for all the questions, i'm just getting little last bits and pieces together so wasn't sure which to buy. thanks for all your help x

 

[polaris]

Gripe water you can't use until 1 month. Infacol is supposed to be completely safe because it's not absorbed but personally I would not give it unless you need it as it is quite sweet tasting as does have a few E numbers in it too. It's not expensive though so if you want you could get a bottle just in case. You won't know if you need it until LO is here and you see how he/she is at getting their wind up. Some babies suffer terribly with wind (mine does) and others just aren't bothered by it at all or burp as soon as you sit them upright.

ETA Infacol did nothing much for us by the way, but other people swear by it. It will just be a matter of finding out what works for your baby when they are here. Hopefully you won't need either!

 

[mrs_rj]

hi ya - Leah is on infacol as she had terrible trouble with wind and didn't bring it up very well when we tried burping her. As polaris said, it needs to be given before every feed to build up and start to work - leah is much better now and brings up her wind well. It is designed to make all the little air bubbles (which are hard to bring up and get trapped causing colic / wind problems) into a larger bubble of air which results in a nice big burp! And yes this can be used from birth wheras gripe water can't be used until a month old. Gripe water is more of a use when needed thing so if you think baby has trapped wind / colic and looks in pain / is screaming you can give them some to try and help relieve it.

 

[MiissMuffet]

aah ok, so would u suggest i dont give it to her at 1st i just feed and burp like normal and if she is struggling THEN I should get some? If I may please ask another question- how do you know if she is struggling to bring it up? Sorry, probably getting to ahead of myself here, she isn't even born yet!!! lol!

 

[MiissMuffet]

hi ya - Leah is on infacol as she had terrible trouble with wind and didn't bring it up very well when we tried burping her. As polaris said, it needs to be given before every feed to build up and start to work - leah is much better now and brings up her wind well. It is designed to make all the little air bubbles (which are hard to bring up and get trapped causing colic / wind problems) into a larger bubble of air which results in a nice big burp! And yes this can be used from birth wheras gripe water can't be used until a month old. Gripe water is more of a use when needed thing so if you think baby has trapped wind / colic and looks in pain / is screaming you can give them some to try and help relieve it.

edit- i already asked the question oops x

 

[loopy loulou]

Hi, I've used both so thought I'd share my experience..

My girl suffered from bad wind pains when she was little so gave her infacol before each feed and it really helped her bring her burps up. Like the lady before said, after a few days, it really does start working at it's best because it's built up in the baby's system. There is no danger whatsoever in giving too much so don't worry about that.

When my baby was about 6-7 weeks old she still seemed to get quite bad tummy pains occasionally so I tried gripe water too (you can give it 4 weeks+). It says to give it during or after a feed so I tried giving it to her on a spoon after a feed and it was a disaster! The suggested dose is 5ml.. now this is a LOT for a little mouth and it went everywhere.. she hated it bless her and got into more of a state coughing and spluttering and probably got more wind than she had in the first place!

I haven't given gripe water since but she seems fine now.. I think when they get bigger any problems sort themselves out anyway.

I still give her infacol for 2 feeds a day just to keep any bubbles at bay!

I would say, see how yours goes for a few days/weeks, and if you feel she is getting wind pains (you will know) then start giving infacol to see if it helps. (it's much easier to give because it's a tiny dose - 0.5ml - given with a little pippette thing.)

Good luck!. xx

 

[MiissMuffet]

Hi, I've used both so thought I'd share my experience..

My girl suffered from bad wind pains when she was little so gave her infacol before each feed and it really helped her bring her burps up. Like the lady before said, after a few days, it really does start working at it's best because it's built up in the baby's system. There is no danger whatsoever in giving too much so don't worry about that.

When my baby was about 6-7 weeks old she still seemed to get quite bad tummy pains occasionally so I tried gripe water too (you can give it 4 weeks+). It says to give it during or after a feed so I tried giving it to her on a spoon after a feed and it was a disaster! The suggested dose is 5ml.. now this is a LOT for a little mouth and it went everywhere.. she hated it bless her and got into more of a state coughing and spluttering and probably got more wind than she had in the first place!

I haven't given gripe water since but she seems fine now.. I think when they get bigger any problems sort themselves out anyway.

I still give her infacol for 2 feeds a day just to keep any bubbles at bay!

I would say, see how yours goes for a few days/weeks, and if you feel she is getting wind pains (you will know) then start giving infacol to see if it helps. (it's much easier to give because it's a tiny dose - 0.5ml - given with a little pippette thing.)

Good luck!. xx

thanks heaps! So you can give them both at the same time? Like, use infacol regularly and if occasionally needed you can give the gripe water too? It sounds really awful to try and give to them though lol! Sounds abit messy!! x

 

[polaris]

For us it was about two or three weeks before we realized wind was an issue for us, but this was partly because I didn't realize breast fed babies got wind so I wasn't too bothered if I couldn't get a burp up. You will know if it is a problem for your little one because it will be hard to get them to burp and if they have trapped wind they will tend to cry when you lie them down flat or the wind will wake them up crying and it will only be relieved by a big burp or fart. Other signs that wind could be a problem that you should watch out for are unexplained crying that you can't find any other reason for it, stiffening up the body so that it is quite rigid, arching the back, pulling the legs into the tummy, grunting and groaning, turning the head to the side especially while feeding, feeding hungrily for a second then pulling away and crying then feeding again then pulling away, not liking to be laid down flat and only settling in an upright position, and also the belly can get quite distended and almost sounds hollow if you tap it if there is a lot of trapped wind. Wind is very uncomfortable for babies so they will let you know if it is a problem, it's just a matter of knowing what to look out for.

 

[polaris]

Also for the gripe water I would recommend getting a plastic syringe instead of using a spoon - much easier and much less mess! My local chemist gave me a handful of syringes for free when I asked them for something to use as an alternative to a spoon for giving medicine to babies.

 

[loopy loulou]

For us it was about two or three weeks before we realized wind was an issue for us, but this was partly because I didn't realize breast fed babies got wind so I wasn't too bothered if I couldn't get a burp up. You will know if it is a problem for your little one because it will be hard to get them to burp and if they have trapped wind they will tend to cry when you lie them down flat or the wind will wake them up crying and it will only be relieved by a big burp or fart. Other signs that wind could be a problem that you should watch out for are unexplained crying that you can't find any other reason for it, stiffening up the body so that it is quite rigid, arching the back, pulling the legs into the tummy, grunting and groaning, turning the head to the side especially while feeding, feeding hungrily for a second then pulling away and crying then feeding again then pulling away, not liking to be laid down flat and only settling in an upright position, and also the belly can get quite distended and almost sounds hollow if you tap it if there is a lot of trapped wind. Wind is very uncomfortable for babies so they will let you know if it is a problem, it's just a matter of knowing what to look out for.

All these symptoms describe how my girl was to a tee!! Poor little mite..

 

[loopy loulou]

Yes MissMuffet you can give both at same time.. if needed.

 

[angelae36]

I put gripe water in my daughters bottle. Saves it going everywhere.
Although I see this is not a practical solution if you breast feed.
If thats the case as has been suggested get a syringe and put a little in the mouth at a time.
Didn't get on with infacol myself.
Also if bottle feeding I cannot recommend the Dr Brown bottles enough. They really helped!

 

[suzanne108]

Its deffo worth buying a bottle of infacol, its only about £2.60 so not a big expense if you dont end up needing it. Its been a lifesaver for me!!!

I tried gripe water and it gave her the poops lol xx