The Happiest Baby on the Block and The Happiest Toddler on the Block 2-Book Bundle pdfdrive com

Big Tummy Troubles Strike Out as the Major Cause of Colic
Food sensitivity and acid reflux can make some babies scream, but do
the Big Tummy Troubles (BTT’s) explain most cases of colic or just a
small number of ultrafussy babies?
In my experience, five to ten percent of very fussy infants cry due to
food sensitivity from cow’s milk or soy, and one to three percent of them
cry from the pain of acid reflux. That notwithstanding, Big Tummy
Troubles (BTT’s) are not the cause of colic for the majority of fussy
infants:
If food allergies caused colic, a mother would only have to
change her baby’s formula or her diet and, poof, the crying
would stop. But this rarely helps.
If allergies caused colic, formula-fed babies should be
especially fussy because they eat hundreds of times more
cow’s milk protein than do breast-fed babies. Yet colic is
equally common in both groups.
Doctors in Melbourne, Australia, examined twenty-four
babies under three months of age who were so irritable they
had to be hospitalized. All were checked for acid reflux; only

---

one baby had it.
Most babies with severe reflux have no pain. A review of 219
young babies sent to a hospital clinic because of severe reflux
found that thirty-three percent had severe vomiting, thirty
percent were not gaining weight, but very few had excessive
crying.
The BTT’s also fail to explain five of the ten universal characteristics of
colic and colicky babies:
Colicky crying usually starts at two weeks, peaks at six
weeks, and ends by three to four months of age. Newborns
are continually exposed to spit-up and allergens in their diet.
If the BTT’s caused colic, crying would start right away and
continue well past three months. (Babies with cow’s milk
allergy have problems that last for at least six to twelve
months, and serious reflux usually causes heartburn
complaints for nine months or more.)