Week 2 - Colic, Wind & the Digestive System

The following strokes can help improve digestion and reduce wind and colic. Baby should be lying on their backs.

First, place your hand horizontally across baby’s tummy. Begin to stroke baby’s tummy using alternate hands, moving from the top of the tummy to the bottom of the tummy in a gentle paddling motion.

After practising this stroke, hold baby’s legs at the ankles and gently elevate baby’s legs off the mat. Repeat the paddling strokes to help release trapped air in the tummy.

Then continue the paddling motion on baby's tummy, this time vertically, working with both hands and starting from the centre of baby's tummy and working outwards to the sides.

Rainbow. Draw an upside down “U” shape across baby’s tummy from the right hand side to the left hand side.

Circle. Use your right hand to draw a circle in a clockwise direction on baby’s tummy.

Sun and Moon. Draw a circle in a clockwise direction on baby’s tummy with your left hand, like a sun. Continue making this circle but place your right hand at the top of the circle and then stroke down to the bottom of the circle making the shape of a half moon. Repeat this motion whilst continuing to make the circle shape with the left hand.

I love you. Draw an 'I' on baby's left handside with your right hand and say 'I' as you do this. Then draw a back to front 'L' starting on baby's left handside and moving to the right across their tummy and say 'love' as you do this. Finish by drawing an upside down 'U' across baby's tummy from the right handside to the left handside and say 'you'. Repeat the motions whilst saying 'I...love...you' to baby and making eye contact while you do it.

You can massage your baby's abdomen to help ease colic pains, constipation & digestion. Moving in a clockwise direction helps move any trapped air to where the intestines meet the rectum.