Uncontrollable Crying in a 5-Month-Old Baby

[Rozzzeto]

Hi everyone,
Our little one has been crying a lot since birth. Every day, he cries hysterically for about 30–40 minutes, sometimes even twice a day. After that, he usually calms down. This mostly happens in the evening, but occasionally during the day as well. Things have improved a bit lately — in the beginning, he used to cry for up to 2 hours and would even struggle to catch his breath from crying so hard.
We know he has reflux, which we usually manage with Gastrotuss – link. Sometimes it helps instantly and he falls asleep. However, there are times when even the syrup doesn’t help at all. :(
We’re getting desperate and no longer know if it’s colic, reflux, or something else. We feed him Aptamil AR and also give him Lefax, as well as OMNi-BiOTiC PANDA as a probiotic.

For the past 3 days, we’ve started weaning with this baby rice: HiPP Baby Rice, but there hasn’t been any change.
Our pediatrician says it’s colic and that it will pass, but it has been going on for a long time now and we’re not seeing any signs of improvement. :(
Could it be a cow’s milk protein intolerance? He doesn’t have a rash or any other obvious symptoms, although he does have atopic skin, but it’s not too severe.
Any advice or experience would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Hello. All babies are different and your baby could be crying for different reasons, but sounds like you've had them checked out medically?

My little one was a really upset baby and literally cried all day. I searched mumsnet for answers, and heard mixed stories.

I started to see a gradual improvement in this over time, and when sge started crawling at 7 months she got even happier. She's now 2 and hardly ever cries. Hang on in there, it does get better 🙏 x

My oldest did this and it was tough. Swaddling worked, letting her sleep in the car while I drove it. We also had her sleep in a swing. It gets better around 8-10 months. Once she turned 2, she was an absolute dream of a child. Never had a tantrum. She's now a successful young woman who sleeps well.

eczema is a huge risk factor in developing allergies, I would absolutely be seriously considering CMPA if he has atopic skin.

Up to 60% of infants with eczema develop food allergies.

how’s the poo?

Thank you very much for your response. The stools are generally mustard-colored and rather loose (soft), we haven't seen any blood, and overall there are one or two bowel movements per day.

He probably needs Omeprazole for the reflux (from a doctor). He also probably has CMPA.

Yellow poo as well on formula sounds like CMPA too.

What are her naps like? Mine cried loads as a baby and didn’t nap well.

There’s no problem with the naps — during the day we try to make sure he sleeps a total of around 3 to 4 hours. That way, he falls asleep at around 8:30–9:00 PM, and we wake him up at 11:30 PM (though he doesn’t fully wake up — he just eats and then falls right back asleep and sleeps until around 6 AM).

My heart goes out to you, my second was the same and it is hard beyond all words. My little girl turned out to have a milk allergy (not intolerance which I was watching out for and she showed no symptoms of) she showed all the signs of an allergy though; she also had silent reflux, and soya allergy. If its any comfort as she got older 1 year etc she was so much better, allergy faded away and she’s the happiest thing now.
I’m sending you moral support through the phone, hang in there, I know its hard. Xx

I would also second the CMPA possibility. Talk to a doctor and/or dietician (not nutritionist) first. If weaning, you could use a plant milk to mix rice for example though, so not removing the milk completely, but just reducing it until you can get help. However, at this age they are more likely to just remove milk for now and help you with alternatives. Trying it for a week on your own is not too bad, but longer term, you need professional advice so your child still gets the right nutrients.

Silent reflux and allergies were the reason that my baby cried all the time and I mean 16+h a day!
We only got relief by going on high dose omperazole and removing her allergens from my diet.

My DD had awful reflux, here’s what worked for us:
Never lie him flat. Always have him slightly propped up, eg a book under each leg at the head end of his cot, a small wedge under his buggy mattress. Reflux means that his stomach valves aren’t closing properly, so lying flat means that stomach acids can more easily escape back up and cause pain.

if you’re breast feeding you could try removing gas-inducing foods from your diet, and cow dairy, see if it helps. Broad beans used to trigger my baby’s reflux for some reason.

Also after feeding (breast or bottle), keep him upright on your shoulder for ages, a good half an hour. Wind him very gently, with gentle little taps rather than the usual firmer taps.

i hope it helps.

@Rozzzeto colic is awful. Has your little one tried Infacol?

We are using Lefax.. it is the same.