Save this for a hard feed
The 60-second gas & colic plan
Bottle getting cold? Baby furious? Seventeen laps around the kitchen? Start at 1.
1 · Red flags? Call first.
If any of these apply, stop here and call the service below. If unsure, call too.
Life-threatening emergency → call 112
- Severe breathing difficulty, blue or grey colouring, or your baby is unresponsive.
- Sudden swelling of the mouth or tongue with breathing difficulty or collapse.
Call the huisarts or huisartsen-spoedpost directly
- Baby under 3 months + rectal temperature of 38.0°C or higher.
- Green (bilious) vomit or repeated forceful/projectile vomiting.
- Very sleepy, floppy or hard to wake; new breathing difficulty.
- A markedly swollen or hard tummy, or bouts of severe pain with blood or mucus in the poo.
- Drinking much less than usual, markedly fewer wet nappies, or signs of dehydration such as a dry mouth and increasing sleepiness.
- New wheezing, widespread hives or facial swelling around a feed. If breathing is severely affected, call 112.
Ask the huisarts for a prompt assessment
- Blood in the poo: contact the huisarts today, even if baby otherwise seems well. With severe pain or illness, call directly.
- Persistent vomiting or feeding refusal, poor weight gain, or eczema/mucus in poo alongside ongoing feeding problems.
- Crying that is severe, changing, or continues beyond the usual early-months pattern. You can ask for help before that point too.
No warning signs? Take the next step.
Check the feed
Support baby. Follow their cues.
- Baby semi-upright. Bottle hand-held. Pause with baby.
- Gulping, coughing or leaking? Check flow.
- Turning away or pushing the teat away? Stop. Don't push the last millilitres.
Soothe, gently
Quiet room. Supported cuddle. Slow walk.
- Between feeds: gentle tummy circles or bicycle legs if baby enjoys them. Stop if distress increases.
- Sleep: flat, safe bed; on the back; no wedges.
Watch the pattern
One change at a time.
- Otherwise well? Note feeds, crying, poo, spit-up, wet nappies, skin and sleep for two days. One diary per baby.
- Warning sign or worried? Call now. Don't finish the diary first.
Ask for help
You don't have to try everything first.
- Consultatiebureau: feeding and growth support for a baby who is otherwise well.
- Huisarts: persistent problems, suspected allergy or illness. After hours: huisartsen-spoedpost.
- Life-threatening emergency: 112.
The Teddy rule: one change at a time
Change one thing. Watch the pattern. Decide what's next. No need for five new products tonight.
Keep tonight simple
Do
- Follow baby's feeding cues.
- Offer gentle, awake comfort.
- Put baby on their back in a flat, safe bed for sleep.
- Put baby safely down and take a brief break if overwhelmed.
Skip
- No propped bottles or forced feeds.
- No wedges or inclined sleepers.
- No herbal teas, gripe water, star anise or essential oils. No honey under one.
- No forceful manipulation. Never shake a baby.
Two days. One baby. A few useful clues.
A simple record can tell your care team more than another product. Copy it into your phone notes, download a blank text template, or print the two-day worksheet. Keep one record per baby.
Only collect notes while baby is otherwise well. If you see a warning sign or are worried, call now — the diary can wait.
Day 1 — date: __________
- Feeds
- time; breast/bottle; note each feed
- Amount
- amount taken, if known — no need to measure breastfeeds
- How the feed went
- calm, gulping, coughing, leaking, refusing
- Crying
- when; how long; relation to feeds
- Spit-up / vomiting
- small spit-up or vomiting; colour; force
- Poo
- frequency; consistency; anything unusual
- Wet nappies
- number; any change from baby's usual pattern
- Skin
- eczema, rash or changes around feeds
- Sleep
- sleep periods; settling; unusual sleepiness
- What helped
- comfort; one change tried; what happened
Day 2 — date: __________
- Feeds
- time; breast/bottle; note each feed
- Amount
- amount taken, if known — no need to measure breastfeeds
- How the feed went
- calm, gulping, coughing, leaking, refusing
- Crying
- when; how long; relation to feeds
- Spit-up / vomiting
- small spit-up or vomiting; colour; force
- Poo
- frequency; consistency; anything unusual
- Wet nappies
- number; any change from baby's usual pattern
- Skin
- eczema, rash or changes around feeds
- Sleep
- sleep periods; settling; unusual sleepiness
- What helped
- comfort; one change tried; what happened
Note each feed and anything unusual. Add lines on paper or in your own notes. Twins? Same birthday. Separate diary.
When you have a quieter moment
Keep this beside you
Educational information, not individual medical advice. Source-checked on 13 October 2026; the evidence and full explanations are in the main guide. If worried about a young baby, call your care team. A diary or product trial must never delay urgent help.