When babies get colic, parents are often told to give simethicone drops. This is a gas reliever. Simethicone is a relatively safe drug that has no known side effects when used as directed unless the infant is allergic, but those little drops come with other ingredients too.
Mylicon drops also contain: anhydrous citric acid, benzoic acid, flavors, glycerides (C14-18, mono- and di-), maltitol, methylcellulose, microcrystalline cellulose and carboxymethylcellulose sodium, polyoxyl 40 stearate, polysorbate 65, purified water, silica gel, sodium benzoate, sodium citrate, xanthan gum.
That’s a whole lot of stuff I wouldn’t want my infant’s new gut to be exposed to. Thankfully, there is an even more effective alternative.
An article published in the medical journal Pediatrics in 2007 showed that a far more effective way to treat infant colic is with probiotics. The strain they used to test their theory was Lactobacillus reuteri. After almost a month of treatment with either the probiotic or the drops, they compared which group had the least amount of colic reported. 95% of the probiotic group had responded to treatment, whereas only 7% of the simethicone group was better.
That’s a pretty big difference in results, especially considering all of the “extras” that are in the simethicone drops on the market today. No adverse reactions were reported with either group.
To learn more or to find a suitable Lactobacillus reuteri product for infants click here.