Spray water in the face of a 5 month old?

Question

My boyfriends best friend and his wife had a kid 5 months ago. A little girl. She's a really cute baby and was sweet for the first 2 months, but then the crying started and hasn't stopped for 3 months. It's colic I know.

Well the colic is driving the mother insane just about. She has tried everything, and has had just about no sleep because her hubby is a jerk generally and doesn't deal with the crying at all.

Well she found out if she squirts water in the babies face she stops crying for a good hour for some reason.

My kneejerk reaction is that this is cruel.

But I don't really know. It doesn't seem to hurt the baby but I don't know what this could affect with the whole bond thing.. Of course if the baby is always crying what will that do to the bond..

Anyway, do you think this is cruel, and if so what should I do?

And do you have anything else I can suggest to her that she probably hasn't tried? (She's tried a lot of things!)

She told me she went to the Dr. and the Dr. explained to her that colic can occur at older ages.. there doesn't seem like there is anything physically wrong with her.

She has started teething now but she was crying all the time for months before this.

Sometimes she splashes water in her face, othertimes she uses a spray bottle set on mist.

Could the Dr. be wrong? Cause her baby does seem alittle thin for a 5 month old. I just attributed that to her expelling so much energy in crying.

I hang out at their house a lot and I do watch her sometimes.. but the crying all the time I can't tolerate it for TOO long and call her mother back .. Maybe because it's not my kid

Answer 1

It's an adversive technique. Not exactly cruel, but...the fact that you ask and that most people have trouble giving a clear yes/no answer tells us that it makes us uncomfortable and that there may be a better way.

Colic is when a baby cries for 3 hours or more a day for 4 or more days per week. That's a lot of crying and is very stressful on parents. That stress, in turn has the potential of making the colic worse. FIrst, the parents need to get on the same page. Maybe they need a date nate or something. Maybe dad needs to buck up and realize he's now a daddy. His old life is over. Parental stress is felt by children and can make children feel more stressed.

Here are some suggestions from the website below. I hope that your friend can find a better solution, though she has my compassion. That's not an easy thing. She needs dad's support and help. I think that's the number one thing right now. Good luck.

"There is no single medicine or proven cure for colic, but there are several measures that may help. Different babies are comforted by different measures, and parents usually need to try various methods to see what works.

Parents who bottle-feed their babies may want to try a different formula. For parents who breastfeed, it's a good idea to continue this because weaning the baby from breast milk may make the colic worse.

Some women find that certain foods in their diet seem to make colic worse and they may find that cutting these foods out helps. These might include cruciferous vegetables (eg cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts and parsnip), beans, onions, garlic, apricots, melon, spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol. By reintroducing foods gradually, women may be able to identify which food, if any, is causing the problem.

If there is a family history of milk sugar (lactose) intolerance, breastfeeding mothers could try eliminating cows milk from their diet. Sometimes babies are not able to digest lactose well - this improves as they get older.

Some parents who bottle-feed their baby try changing over to soya-based formula, but there is no evidence that this is effective at reducing colic.

If the baby seems to have a lot of wind, make sure he or she is burped frequently. Babies who are bottle-fed may swallow air from the bottle: try feeding the baby in a different position, or using a bottle and teat designed to reduce the amount of air the baby swallows during a feed. These include curved bottles, bottles with a collapsible bag inside or bottles with a vent.

To soothe babies with colic, the following techniques may be helpful:

carry the baby in a front sling or back pack
wrap him or her snugly in a blanket (this is called swaddling)
keep the baby moving in a baby swing
place him or her near continuous noise or vibrations from household appliances like the dishwasher, vacuum cleaner or washer-dryer
take him or her for a car ride or a walk outside
give him or her a dummy to suck on
give him or her tummy or back rubs
take a shower together - the warm water may be comforting "

Answer 2

There are some better ways than water. the noise of a vacuum cleaner, whit static of a TV or radio things like this will put them to sleep. Make sure the noise is either low enough to not be to loud for the baby or that is like outside the room in the hall way or something. Where as i don't like the water thing it doesn't physically hurt the baby. Colic is very hard to get though as well, she might could use a friend to help with the baby sometimes too.

Answer 3

Well..... I don't really know how I feel about that. I do know that a fine mist of water wouldn't hurt the baby. and it is a whole lot better than shaking her. Lots of desperate parents of crying babies are so desperate for the crying to stop that they lose control and shake the baby or harm it in other ways. I have seen lots of desperate mothers- Like you say the dads usually find other things to do . not all of them but a good number do.
I think if it helps give mom a break then it can't hurt once in a while. as long as it's a fine mist like from a spray bottle. not a woosh from a cup or something like that.

Give mom a break for a while sometimes a fresh set of arms for the baby helps too, even if it lets mom go for just a walk around the block .

Answer 4

I'm totally on the fence about this, because as you stated it doesn't hurt the baby. I'm also extremely curious as to why this works.

Is it the feeling of the water on the baby's face?
I'm trying to think of why this might work- but after stepping back for a second and thinking about it a bit more- I'm inclined to say that if it feels good and is pacifying the baby then maybe it's a good thing.

I guess it would depend on the actual "action" of what she means by spraying the water in the face. Is it like a mist or stream? That kinda thing...
Initially it seems cruel yes, but upon further thought- if it truly pacifies the baby and makes it feel better, maybe not so much.

I'll be interested to see what others insightfully think.

Answer 5

With the water sprayer bottle thing,when it was summer here I did that to my baby to keep him cool when we were out, and he loved it. He is now 9 months old and has actually learnt how to spray himself in the face!
I do think it is cruel if the baby doesn't like it. Obviously the baby is looking for comfort and isn't getting it. Maybe a baby sling/ carrier may work, baby can feel the closeness and comfort of mum without her having to hold her. Or a swing is always a great soother also, and easy on mum. If it goes on too much longer, I would encourage your friend to get a second opinion. Babies should not be constantly unsettled for this long a time.

Answer 6

Three months of colic just doesn't sound right. I would suggest an appointment with the doctor to find out what the real problem is. As for the water spray ..... it won't physically hurt the baby, but what about the emotional part? What's going to happen when it's time to potty train?

Answer 7

OMG thats just wrong.
I have a 5 month old also. She is teething, sick(tummy virus), misses her farther, needy and cries everytime i leave the room, cries cause she dont feel good cries cause she want s to be held al the time. Yes frustrating i know how she feels

There are ways to help ease colic.
burping every oz or 2.
massaging the belly.
Useing the tiger hold. i dont know how to explain it.
they make items that also help with colicy babies

the baby will cry and its ok to leav it in the room to cry a bit, she can walk out for 5 -15 minutes take a breath get her self together and go back in for more. sprayig water stuns or suprises the baby like blowing in there face

call the doctor for advice and help

Answer 8

It would be sort of unusual for colic to START at 2 months. Can you be more specific about the baby? Is the baby gaining weight appropriately, does the baby eat normally, does she spit up a lot? I don't think that squirting water in baby's face is a good thing. Both my babies had reflux so cried a LOT, and believe me it about put me over the edge, but I was STILL the adult in charge of taking care of baby. If she feels that crazy she needs to put the baby in her crib and walk out and shut the door for a few minutes.

I will also say that my son's reflux didn't show up for 2 months because we let him sleep in his carrier until then, so his top half was propped up. If you have more info about the baby's condition please post it or email me!

Answer 9

This is abuse. MY God what is wrong with you people.There is no one to protect this child.You are His voice.Let them know this is so wrong!!!!Tell your friend to go to the store and buy some manzanilla or chamomile tea and give him a four oz bottle. she can add 1/2 t of sugar. Sit him up and feed it to him. Do not prop the bottle. Then burp him.If you do this everyday guess what no more colic!!! Try using a Playtex nurser with the bags for a month see if that helps.For the love of God don't squirt him in the face..Your are destroying his spirit..Try hiring a babysitter. If you cant afford one ask a friend of the church.I will pray hard for this baby....

Answer 10

Maybe it is colic but the baby is crying so much that she's getting hot and bothered. Tell the mother to try gently sponging the baby's face with a cool damp cloth and see if that has the same effect. Also try loosening clothing and taking off layers. She could try massage to soothe the baby and I found gently rubbing my daughter's tummy worked too.