baby rockers - heard they can be bad for them - please advise

[WhoSleptInMyPorridgeAndBrokeIt]

hi there
DH keeps nagging at me to get a rocker for our 8-w.o. baby. He's suffering from bad wind verging on colic (DS, not DH ) and at mo we're stuck with carrying him on our shoulders 24/7 as he's only soothed by constant movement. (And not any sort of movement at that - say pacing the floor works while rocking on the feeding chair doesn't ) Poor DH is whining coz he hasn't got as much patience as me and he thinks sticking DS in a rocker might do it.

I don't mind but I remember reading somewhere that the angle at which they lie in a rocker isn't good for colic/winding and even if it soothes them temporarily that's not bringing up the wind.

Problem is i can't find where I read it and google doesn't know either.. any comments gratefully received

Hi,

Can you try and get one of these from freecycle? They are expensive and don't last for long (once they can kinda move about, you can't really safely keep them in there, so about six months old?). Having said that, we were given one and it was fantastic for DS1 - he used to nap in it for hours. Now using it for DS2 and he's not in it as much as DS1 was as he's more easily settled. DS1 was a real screamer! I think the idea is that there are more upright than if the baby is lying down flat so would help if wind is a problem, not sure if it will actually help in bringing up the wind itself though... We used to call it the magic rocker cos we will put the music mobile on and after one cycle (about 7 minutes long),the baby will be fast asleep!

I wouldn't say it was the solution to all your problems but it will help in giving you a couple of hours' break if your DS settles in it. I wouldn't leave the baby in there for more than a couple of hours a day as I heard that it's not good for their back (same reasoning as why you shouldn't leave them in a carseat for too long). Good luck in sorting out your DS's wind. I've got a 4-week-old so I feel your pain - trying to burp him in the middle of the night is so soul-destroying when it's just not happening...