Using an anti-colic bottle is often essential to relieve baby of stomach aches and parents of their worries! But many questions arise upon its acquisition.
- How does colic manifest in a young child?
- When do they stop?
- Why use an anti-colic bottle from birth?
- Is the anti-colic bottle like a regular bottle?
- Should we limit its use over time?
- Or on the contrary, can you continue to give it to your baby even after the colic has disappeared?
- …
Let's find out all this together.
SUMMARY :
- Part 1: Colic
-
Part 2: The anti-colic bottle
- 1. What is the role of an anti-colic bottle?
- 2. Characteristics of an anti-colic bottle from Elhée
- 3. Should you stop using an anti-colic bottle once colic disappears?
- 4. How to warm your anti-colic bottle?
- 5. At what age should you definitively stop giving your baby an anti-colic bottle?
- 6. And after? What to do with your anti-colic bottle next?
- What you must remember
Part 1: Colic
1. How does colic manifest in infants?
Colic in infants manifests itself in different ways, and it is not difficult to distinguish them:
- Babies with colic often have intense crying spells, which can occur at any time of the day. These cries are often more frequent after baby's meals, in the late afternoon or evening.
- During episodes of colic, the baby's face may turn red, and he may clench his fists in a sign of discomfort.
- Colic can cause a reduction in appetite in infants but without associated weight loss (or very briefly and episodically).
- Babies with colic may have difficulty falling asleep and wake up frequently during the night.
- Your baby's stomach may feel tight and hard to the touch during seizures.
- Colic causes increased gas production, which contributes to digestive discomfort.
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2. When does infant colic stop?
Most of the time, infant colic tends to calm down around 4 months for most babies, much to the relief of their parents! A period which coincides with the appearance of dietary diversification .
Some pediatricians sometimes recommend switching to a more solid diet before the child is six months old in order to limit the baby's pain.
Note that infant colic is not dangerous . On the other hand, they are quite spectacular and anxiety-inducing. It is possible to soothe your baby by rocking him in the evening before going to sleep, with his stomach against your forearm.
Remember to carry him vertically against your shoulder for 20 minutes after his bottle of milk, whether it is infant milk (= powdered milk) or breast milk to allow him to burp.
Certain solutions such as homeopathy can also help reduce colic in infants.
3. Do not confuse infant colic with other ailments
The emergence of the first teeth can sometimes lead to confusion: is the baby really suffering from colic? The symptoms between different inconveniences can in fact be very similar:
- screams,
- tears,
- Red cheeks,
- clenched fists,
- loss of appetite,
- nocturnal awakenings,
- hard stomach,
- liquid stools,
- gas,
- etc.
If these symptoms leave you perplexed, it is better to consult your family doctor to make sure that everything is fine and that it is just a bad time to go through!
Note that gastric reflux can also be a cause of discomfort in young children.
Overview of our range of anti-colic bottles
Part 2: The anti-colic bottle
1. What is the role of an anti-colic bottle?
As its name suggests, the role of an anti-colic bottle is to fight against colic in infants . This scourge which affects 20 to 40% of babies, or approximately 1 in 5.
Its design allows it to limit the ingestion of air and therefore the formation of gas in the baby's stomach. Depending on the brand, your bottle will or will not have an anti-colic valve placed at the bottom of the container.
Some baby bottles act as anti-colic bottles thanks to their particular shape: elbow or S, for example.
“A near-spherical shaped bottle like the one offered by Elhée also significantly reduces the inflow of air. Its generous shapes, close to the maternal breast, make it a reassuring bottle that is easy for little hands to hold.”
2. Characteristics of an anti-colic bottle from Elhée
A healthy bottle for babies' health!
The anti-colic bottle from Elhée is distinguished by a meticulous design aimed at ensuring the well-being of your child. Made from medical grade silicone , this bottle guarantees maximum safety by being free of BPA , thus ensuring healthy and risk-free nutrition for babies.
Able to pair with a silicone teat offering slow, fast and medium flow , this bottle adapts to the evolving needs of each infant, allowing you as parents to regulate the feeding speed according to preferences and needs. age of your baby.
A totally reliable anti-colic bottle, what’s more!
Practicality is also at the heart of the design of the Elhée baby bottle!
Its ingenious safety system, marked by a specific notch, indicates the end of screwing, thus avoiding any excessive tightening which could damage the screw thread in the long term. This characteristic ensures not only the durability of the bottle but also the total absence of risks of leaks .
The silicone that makes up our BibRond is not only easy to clean, whether by hand washing with dishwashing liquid or in the dishwasher, but also allows it to maintain its integrity after refrigeration, without no alteration of the taste of the preparation contained. In addition, when reheated in the microwave, this bottle does not release any plastic micro or nanoparticles.
3. Should we stop using an anti-colic bottle once colic has disappeared?
Once baby is older and colic is gone, you may ask yourself the question: should I change my bottle or not? 🤔
Where can I keep my anti-colic bottle and continue to offer it to my child?
Yes, if your bottle has sufficient capacity to provide the milk it needs at each feeding. A baby continues to drink milk even after the arrival of dietary diversification. Until he is at least one year old , he will need to drink his bottle of growth milk in the morning, at snack time, or even at every meal (recommended up to 3 years old).
In addition, your baby is used to his bottle. It is not recommended to change your habits overnight.
Dietary diversification does not initially provide all the nutrients your child needs. It's actually about introducing foods gradually and getting your child used to new flavors.
Its daily nutritional intake can very well continue to be administered through your anti-colic bottle. On the contrary, the bottle being designed to limit the introduction of air into his little belly, your baby will be even more comfortable once his meal is finished. His digestion will be significantly improved.
Related content: Top 20 solutions to adopt urgently in addition to an anti-colic bottle 👶
4. How to warm your anti-colic bottle?
The bottle warmer is an essential accessory for modern parents that allows you to quickly warm the milk contained in your anti-colic bottle without having to use the water bath method.
Before choosing a bottle warmer model, make sure it is compatible with your anti-colic bottle. The Elhée anti-colic bottle has adapter rings compatible with portable bottle warmers, available HERE .
Please note that regular sterilization of this equipment is no longer systematically recommended to maintain a hygienic environment.
5. At what age should you definitively stop giving your baby an anti-colic bottle?
There aren't really any rules !
Many agree that after your child turns 1, the bottle becomes an accessory that is not essential to their development. Indeed, your baby has grown up! 😉 He feeds himself with his fingers and even manages to put the spoon in his mouth like a grown-up.
Even if your help is still necessary to finish his dishes...
But should we definitely eliminate baby bottles altogether?
This everyday object, such as a cuddly toy or a pacifier , reassures your child and allows him to find the same well-being situations to which he was accustomed when he was little. A warm, soft and pleasant to the touch bottle is not just a way to feed yourself. It represents a whole universe for your child which contributes to the awakening of the senses.
Leaving it available to your child, even when older, allows you to give them the choice and not remove an object to which they are forcibly attached. Which, in itself, can constitute a form of trauma.
Don't worry, baby will be weaned sooner or later and will also drink from a cup or a bowl, too impatient to imitate his big brother, his big sister or his parents!
6. What to do with your anti-colic bottle next?
When baby is ready and has definitively given up on the idea of drinking from a bottle, you can:
- Either keep it for a future baby,
- Either donate it to a mother close to you or to the PMI in your neighborhood,
- Or recycle it by sending it to the TerraCycle association !
Whatever your idea, do not throw it into the general environment or into nature... Even if medical grade silicone is a so-called “inert” material (= which does not release any toxicity to the environment) , its place is not in the ditches or the ocean.
🍼 And after the bottle, time for the learning cup!
What to remember about your anti-colic bottle
- Your anti-colic bottle is originally intended to reduce your baby's stomach aches . These, caused by the formation of air, can indeed be very painful. Once baby is older, colic gradually disappears but that does not mean the end of your anti-colic bottle!
- You can very well continue to give it to your baby, even after he is one year old, and get him used to parting with it gradually.
- Elhée's innovative BibRonds are soft, supple, and reminiscent of the shape of the nursing breast. Don't hesitate to give him his bottle, even when empty, so that he can play with it. No risk of breakage!
- Completely unbreakable and free of pathogens such as plastic microparticles or even lead, this medical grade silicone baby bottle is perfectly respectful of your baby's health and therefore of his development.
