What’s the deal with alcohol in gripe water???

[UpToMyElbowsInDiapers]

I have a very gassy 3-week-old. The midwife recommended gripe water. DH went out and bought the first bottle he could find, which it turns out is the kind with 3.6% alcohol. I know there are alcohol free brands so I’ll try to go out and buy some tomorrow, but is it a bit crazy that they sell this stuff at the pharmacy no questions asked? Is it safe for me to use it until I have a chance to buy an alternative? It feels really weird to me to give my baby straight up booze... considering how sensitive some people are about the trace amounts of alcohol in breast milk from a glass of wine! I’m really at a loss for tonight... Thoughts?

Are you in the uk or Ireland? My niece is 26 and my sister gave her gripe water as a baby it had 0.6% alcohol. It was banned or not sold anymore about 20 years ago. When I had my dd 10 years ago gripe water couldn't be bought in Ireland

We used it on our first born. She was so colicky and it did work. I don't know though. I didn't think they sold it with alcohol anymore. Maybe try bicycling baby's legs and see if that works first. Or you could dilute it with a little cold boiled water.

Sorry, forgot to mention, I’m in Canada. Medical and trade standards tend to be pretty similar here though.

I’ve definitely been doing the usual bicycling of his legs, tummy massage, burping, and warm bath, but he’s still so gassy...

I’m thinking I’ll bin the alcoholic gripe water though. Mega suspect.

The alcohol is what made it work back in the day! But by no means am I recommending it, that’s why it’s banned here. Non alcoholic gripe water doesn’t work.

Try burping your baby more thoroughly.

I thought you weren’t suppose to use it until 6 weeks. I remember freaking out over the alcohol in Rantitadine that my lo was prescribed. My GP friends said it was fine.

Yeah, it puts them to sleep, problem solved.

They took the alcohol out in the UK decades ago and so the stuff doesn't work at all now. I spent months spooning into DS to no avail whatsoever! Pointless waste of money.

I'll take it off your hands, the gremlin might sleep through...

Have you tried bouncing the baby up and down to burp?

Oh, and big sympathy on the gripey baby front. You are most likely doing nothing wrong at all, you just have a gripey baby. I tried everything, consulted every health professional, tried every over the counter remedy available, everything the GP could give me, every therapy including homeopathy, aromatherapy massage for babies, baby cranial osteopathy, breast feeding counsellor to check latch, burping etc and DS just carried on being gripey until he grew out of it at about 5 months.

I’m quite thankful this is DC2, so I know how to burp him effectively (and trust me, we get some SPECTACULAR, house-shaking burps!) and I’m relatively confident I’m not doing anything wrong. It was just never this bad with DC1. She used to do 4-5 hour stretches at night by this point whereas with him we’re stuck at 1.5, 2 max, and his sleep is so fitful, with legs flailing and random screams and farts... it’s hard to watch and utterly exhausting for all of us! Poor little guy...

I really hope he grows out of it before 5 months... eek! I’m setting my hopes on 10 weeks. I seem to remember that’s when my DD felt less like a newborn and more like a functioning baby. :-)

@hiddendad

You seriously dragged up and thread months old to suggest giving a baby GIN

Go away.