Hilary Duff and her 2-month-old daughter, Banks, were both ready to eat when they sat down at Acre Restaurant and Bar in San José del Cabo, Mexico. So they compromised: the Younger actress breast-fed her baby while feasting on Brussels sprouts.
“@acrebaja was bomb,” Duff wrote on her Tuesday, January 1, Instagram, in which she is seen nursing and eating.
Earlier that day, Duff had asked her fans for advice on colic, a condition which is defined by the Mayo Clinic as “frequent, prolonged and intense crying or fussiness in a healthy infant.” Many felt the Lizzie McGuire alum’s food choices are to blame.
“Sweetheart, that right there could be the reason for colic… Brussels sprouts are a very gassy food as well as cabbage and could be causing sweet baby a tummy ache,” wrote one person. Added another: “Brussels sprouts will make your baby gassy. I know you’re a super healthy eater, but cutting back for now on those will help.” A third recommended avoiding all vegetables from the Brassica family, such as broccoli and cauliflower.
Board-certified pediatrician Dr. Jen Trachtenberg does not like to restrict what nursing women eat. “Babies are often gassy and crying because they are babies and it’s not food related,” the Pediatrician in Your Pocket video host explained to Us Weekly. “Moms can unnecessarily end up on just bread and water from restricting so many potential gassy foods.”
Though the “So Yesterday” singer and her boyfriend, Matthew Koma, are at their wits’ end, Dr. Trachtenberg promises things will improve soon. “Colic usually ends at about 3 months of age,” she told Us. The New York-based parenting expert offered some tips for the couple while they ride it out.
“Swaddling a baby can be very helpful,” she advised, as is massaging. Dr. Trachtenberg recommends rubbing the child’s belly in circular motions while pedaling their legs in the air as if they’re riding a bike. According to Dr. Trachtenberg, there is also new evidence suggesting that probiotics can soothe colicky babies.
Meanwhile, Duff needs to take care of herself, too. “If a mom is overwhelmed, it’s OK to put baby down in a safe place like on her back in a crib,” Dr. Trachtenberg noted. “Yes, baby is crying, but mom needs a break!”
The actress is also mom of 6-year-old Luca with her ex-husband, Mike Comrie.
