Suggest Woodwards Gripe Water Usage

Posted on Thu, 18 Jun 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 18 Jun 2015 Answered on

Sat, 4 Jul 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : hello doctor,
My baby is 6 months 15 days old...we have started with solid foods like steamed apple,cerelac with veg stalk water .....and ragi too...He is constipated but not much and his bowel looks green always.I just want to know whether Woodwards gripe water can be given and how many times in a day..can u suggest first of all it can be given?

Answered by Dr. Arun (16 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
not useful better avoid it.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for writing to us.

Gripe water has been in use for more than a century. The original gripe water had alcohol along with other additives like dill oil and fennel oil, used mainly before to relieve colic pain in babies.
Though current gripe water do not have alcohol they do have unnecessary additives.
A study published 15 years ago mentioned that gripe water may not be useful at all and infact it is unnecessary.

Almost all current generation doctors would agree that gripe water is unnecessary and not advisable. I would say the same. Better avoid it.

You can give safer and tested colic relief medicines like colicaid if your baby has pain.
For green stools no need to do anything. It will change on its own in a few weeks.
To avoid constipation increase fruits and any vegetables ( atleast two servings a day)

Wishing your child good health.
Regards
Dr Arun

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar