Does Gripe Water Work?

Updated on December 28, 2011
E.K. asks from Kirkland, WA
9 answers

My 5-month old has had some bad tummy aches lately. She's been pretty constipated because we just went to all formula (Earth's Best) instead of formula and breast feeding (my supply totally diminished). She's had some bad gas, and I think she's got a little tooth starting to poke through. Poor sweet girl. Anyways, I'm trying to do what I can to give her some relief (giving dilhouted pear juice to help her poop, rubbing her tummy, pumping her legs, tylenol for teething pain, regular reflux meds), and I want to try gripe water to see if it will help calm her tummy and relieve her gas. We've tried Mylicon. It doesn't seem to help at all.

Has anyone tried gripe water? What do you think of it?

FYI - the brand I bought is "Mommy's Bliss". It has fennel and ginger.

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M.R.

answers from Honolulu on

I didn't find that it worked much, if at all. I would look for what is causing the constipation and discomfort, and not change that, instead of treating the symptoms. Sounds like it's almost certainly the formula, so perhaps a different brand (like others suggested.)
Constipation can often be from the high amounts of iron in formulas, but it is hard now to find low-iron formulas. My children couldn't tolerate Earth's Best very well, which was disappointing b/c I like the company and that it's organic.
It can be hard to find a formula that won't cause the upset stomach and pain, but it is totally worth it when you do. Good Luck!

1 mom found this helpful

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S.K.

answers from Minneapolis on

Yes Yes and Yes! We use Baby Bliss gripe water. I buy it at Walgreens.

It really helped with my son's gas issues when he was that little. You can also do Mylicon gas drops. I didn;t try Mylicon as gripe water worked perfectly for us (I know some pediatricians don;t recommend gripe water, but our pediatrician recommended it, she gave reasons why people think it's unsafe but can't remember exactly what she said). Baby Bliss gripe water has all natural ingredients and safe. Totally recommend it!

2 moms found this helpful
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E.C.

answers from Janesville-Beloit on

I used it for the first four months with my two yr old and thought it worked great. But for my twins that are four months old it didn't seem to make a difference at all. With them I ended up switching formulas. I think it's worth a shot.

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❤.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

I read the responses but wanted to add what about changing formulas?
Maybe check w/your ped but I was thinking maybe since that is what has changed maybe a different formula wouldn't "stop him up".
Maybe ask your ped about if apple juice would help better than pear juice
Good that you're doing: pumping legs, tylenol for teething pain etc.

I wish you luck soon w/your baby!!!!!

1 mom found this helpful

M.P.

answers from Minneapolis on

Some people will say no, its just a snake oil gimmick. I say it does, but it truly depends on the ingredients. If its one that is made with peppermint, that can irritate baby stomach and cause them to be more cranky. If its made with ginger or fennel seed that is better. Fennel being the best of the two. Fennel tends to get the babies to burp more. It more soothing. I always stand by and buy Woodwards. The only place I found it was our local Indian Grocery, so that may not be available. Check the ingredients and dont use any that have peppermint extracts or oils.

Pediatricians don't recommend Gripe Water because there is no regulations on it. It can be distributed by anyone, and the ingredients range so widely. My pediatrician hesitantly recommend using it as long as there was no peppermint, because it irritates stomach linings and that many kids are allergic to it. Also depending on where or WHO makes it, the cleanliness and food safety vary so widely. So that is why they can not safely or 100% recommend the product. Or they may face malpractice suits if a child fell ill using it.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.F.

answers from Sarasota on

I used Mommy's Bliss for my daughter as a newborn. It seemed to help alot when she had a upset stomach. There was one or two times when she would immediately vomit after I gave it to her, but after that she was 100x better...it was almost like she needed to get that out (drank too much milk)... and other times it helped with bad hiccups, and just plain tummy upsets.

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K.F.

answers from Portland on

Yes! We have used it for both of our girls (had I known sooner we would have used it for all 3 kids) and I really like that brand. It seems to help more when she is overtired and fussy - she will go to sleep almost immediately and is usually less fitful. We also like the Little Tummies drops - Mylicon didn't help. My cousin who exclusively formula fed used to add gripe water to every bottle to help cut the gas. We have recently found that the best way for our 4 month old to get the gas out is to lay on her back under a play mat and as she kicks around she gets it all out. Good luck! Gassy babies are so hard!

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S.S.

answers from New York on

We've tried Mommy's Bliss Gripe water and I cannot say it helped us, but then again neither did mylicon. We've tried Cocyntal, by Boiron (homeopathic) and that seemed to help but not too much. The only things that helped were 1) cutting out the offending foods from my diet when I nursed (in your case, look into switching the formula) and 2) pumping her legs. You cannot do it before 1 or 2 months old but afterwards, it's great as it helps them pass gas and 3) put a cotton swab/q tip, coated in petroleum jelly, into her tush. It sounds awful and mean but it was a surefire way to give our son relief from a bad belly ache. Good luck!

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C.S.

answers from Las Vegas on

The doc said not to pump their legs...can't remember why.

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