Infant Gripe Water

Updated on February 07, 2008
E.M. asks from Shippensburg, PA
21 answers

Has anyone heard of or tried gripe water? I know some people use it on their colicky baby, or if they have bad gas, burps or hiccups, but I don't know much about it or if any Ped.'s recommend it? And does it work? For how young of a baby have you used it?

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M.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

I haven't used it; but my sister used it on her newborn. Her pediatrician said that it was okay to use. It worked great for her daughter for gas/colic. I hope this helped

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A.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

I used this on my twin girls because they had a lot of gas. Before I gave them any, I called my ped and they said it was fine and looked up in their big book of medicine, how much I should give my girls. It's worth a try but you have to feel comfortable with it.

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R.S.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Hi E.! Gripe Water is used in Canada all the time - I have a friend at church who is from Canada and she gave me some to try with my son. As far as she knows, it is not sold in the US, but I'm not sure why not - it's all natural and the ingredients include dill, fennel, and some other herbs/oils. I was always raised to use alternatives before medicine, so I was willing to try it. I tried it myself to see what it did to me before giving it to my son and I did get rid of some burps and other air :) I gave it to my son and it helped push things through - he tooted, burped, and pooed. The first time he seemed to have some cramping, but all the other times, it settles him. I have continued to use it and I like it for him. There are two kinds, though, and I would only use the alcohol-free. When my son gets the hiccups, I dip his binky in Gripe Water and let him suck it off - usually it helps quickly. He LOVES the taste. Hope it helps!

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G.H.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi E.,

Yes, Gripe Water works great! Much better than Mylicon, in my experience. It is safe to use, and you will see results immediately. I even used it myself during my last pregnancy. I believe you can start using it on babies 2 weeks and older, but I would read the directions to be sure. I know I started using it as soon as I heard about it when my daughter was a month old. Hope this helps, good luck!

G.

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F.V.

answers from Lancaster on

Hi E.,
I tried gripe water on my newborn and it did not work. Mylicon is what worked and eventually when I found out the colic was due to acid reflux he was put on Zantac. The hospital I delivered at reccomended gripe water and you can find it at any natural food store. It has worked for some but it did not work for my son, he also did not like the taste.
Christina

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L.C.

answers from New York on

It has been a LIFE SAVER! I asked my Dr about it and he said there is nothing harmful about it and if it helps - use it! We use little timmies and buy it at Babie R Us - it's also available at any Whole Foods or health store. I rarely give a full 'dose' usually just a squirt or two and it seems to calm my 4 month old daughter - since she's a few weeks old! GIve it a try and see if it works - hope it does! Also, we put a wedge in her crib and hold her upright - even if she's sleeping for 20 minutes after each feeding and giver her rice cereal 2x a day (sometimes in her bottle of breast milk - sometimes mixed with breast milk and fed with a spoon) - all have really made a difference in her digesting and spitting up! Good luck!

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B.J.

answers from Allentown on

Gripe water is great! It is a mixture of herbs (ginger and fennel) and is very safe. I have used it myself when my stomach feels quesy. I also give it to my grandson who is 7. Since I work in a health food store, I have easy access, but I am sure you can find it in any health food store. It will be safe for you baby.
B.

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M.F.

answers from Philadelphia on

I've heard that gripe water works b/c it has alcohol content....I've never had to use it, but I'm not so sure if it's such a good option, atleast by US standards of care. I'd suggest asking your pediatrician.

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C.J.

answers from Harrisburg on

Loved gripe water!!!!!!! When used properly it works like a dream. Gripe water is homeopathic so it is very sensitve. It should not be taken with any food or drink 20 min before or after taking it. It is very smooth on the tummy

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D.S.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi E.,

I have used Gripe Water and it is amazing. My 2nd son was always gassy and this was the only thing that worked well. I had tried the Mylicon type drops first and it actually made him worse off. I highly recommend it.

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J.H.

answers from York on

E.,

My husband and I tried a product called "Colic Calm" (AKA- gripe water) with our little girl at about 2-3 months of age. She had reflux and really bad gas. We asked our pediatrician about it and gave her the website to investigate and she said we should try it. Since everything was natural, we had nothing to lose. It worked very well! Each time we gave it to our little girl, she settled down and things moved along in her digestive process. She was usually calm within about 2-3 minutes. The only drawback was the black charcoal- when she spit up it stained her clothes and bibs. We did find a solution- Oxyclean!

Hope this helps,
Jen

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R.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Hi, My son had WICKED-BAD colic--and gripe water helped, along with hyland's colic tablets--but the best thing was changing my diet--I breastfed--and he was EXTREMELY sensitive to things in my breastmilk--so no garlic, onions or peppers and in my case I pretty much cut out all veggies--it was a bit painful for me, but he was SO MUCH HAPPIER, so it was worth it. he outgrew it by 5 mos.

Hope that helps, good luck.

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C.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

I have used it, found it on drugstore.com, read the reviews, purchased and used it both on a toddler and infant with success. Good luck.

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V.F.

answers from Scranton on

Yes from what I understand it works very well for the collicky baby the only downside is that once opened it has a short shelf life in the fridge. The other option is try some Bubble B Gone, this is all natural great for gas and it also aides in digestion and can be found at most health food stores and some grocery stores like Wegmans. I am not sure if you can find it in a pharmacy
V.

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C.H.

answers from Philadelphia on

i used gripe water w/ my 2nd son who seemed to have a lot of gas and was always very uncomfortable. it's kind of like a baby alka-seltzer. all natural ingredients like ginger and fennel. it DID work for my baby but you need to be very consistent w/ doses. I gave it to him 3X each day w/ a feeding. if i got sloppy about giving it to him, his symptoms would return. so even if he seems better....keep giving it! i could actually hear/feel all the gas in his belly breaking up. it may take a few tries for the baby to aquire a taste for it but then he'll love it! I hope it helps!

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D.F.

answers from Philadelphia on

I've never used it myself, but I've heard positive things about it. I think it's all natural. I suppose you could check with your pediatrician.

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J.T.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Hi E.,

I have used gripe water with my son. We used it for gas, hiccups, or colicky behavior, and it did seem to work. We used it when he was as young as a month or two. I thought gripe water was a nice natural alternative to Mylicone, which is another over the counter product for infant gas.

Hope this helps!

J.

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D.V.

answers from Philadelphia on

I tired Gripe water (4 years ago) with my first daughter and she did fine but I also used baby mylicon. This was a while ago but I remember reading that it contained atropine and with repetitive doses --you may experience unwanted side effects.
Having said that, it did work for my daughter but I didn't use it with my second daughter. When I consulted her pediatrician--she told me not to use it. I would just caution you to read the ingredients carefully and if you decide to use the product--buy it from a reputable manufacturer. Also, consult your pediatrician.

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A.H.

answers from Pittsburgh on

My brother used it on my nephew and he did fine with it. Although I wondered sometimes if they just gave it to him before trying to figure out if there was something else wrong. There was a recall a few months ago for some of the gripe water so be watchful and read up on it before putting it in your baby.

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R.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

E. Hi I used the Gripe water for my son and I loved it. It helped him so much and I found it on my own. When I told my old peds doctor he said he liked it very much too. I found that it helped with gas pains and hiccups. If I remember you can give it to them right before or even in the bottle if you don't breastfeed. I think you should try it. Good luck. R.

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J.Y.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I considered using this product as well, but felt apprehensive. These 'natural' products are not well regulated for quality, and ingredients don't have to be tested for safety. Just after my son was past the fussy gassy stage (mid 2006), the product was recalled. Even if it is back on the market, I would not use it.

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