Fall brings families together — Thanksgiving dinners, weekend visits from grandparents, more people dropping by now that everyone's back into a routine. With a new baby in the house, that usually also means more opinions and more questions, and one that comes up often around this time of year is a simple one: does gripe water contain alcohol, and should that matter?
Why Some Gripe Water Contains Alcohol
Traditional gripe water formulas, including Dr. Chase's original recipe, use a small, tightly regulated amount of ethyl alcohol as a natural preservative and carrier for the active plant oils. This has been standard practice for well over a century and is considered safe within Health Canada's licensing requirements. Even so, plenty of parents would simply rather avoid alcohol in any form for their baby — whether for personal preference, religious reasons, or just peace of mind — and that preference deserves a real option, not just a workaround.
What Makes the Alcohol-Free Version Different
Kolik Alcohol-Free Gripe Water replaces the alcohol entirely, using fennel oil — traditionally used to calm an upset stomach and aid digestion — combined with sodium bicarbonate to neutralize acid and reduce gas, preserved with Health Canada-approved alternatives instead of alcohol. It's built to offer the same category of relief as the original: easing colic, gas, upset stomach, cramps, hiccups, and general fussiness, just through a different formulation.
Dosing by Age
Dosing follows the same age-based structure as the original formula: half a teaspoon (2.5 mL) up to four times daily for newborns 0 to 1 month, one teaspoon (5 mL) up to four times daily for infants 1 to 6 months, and two teaspoons (10 mL) up to four times daily for older infants 6 to 24 months.
How to Decide Between the Two
Both formulas are Health Canada-licensed and rooted in the same 165-year Dr. Chase heritage, so neither is a compromise. Families who'd rather avoid alcohol altogether — including many who are exclusively breastfeeding a young newborn — often gravitate toward the alcohol-free version. Families who've used the original formula for generations, or who simply prefer the dill-and-ginger combination, tend to stick with what's worked for them. If you're not sure which makes sense for your baby, it's a quick and reasonable question to bring to your pediatrician or pharmacist.
One Fall-Specific Tip
With more visitors and gatherings this time of year, keeping your baby's usual feeding and soothing routine as consistent as possible — regardless of which formula you use — tends to matter more than the formula itself when it comes to keeping fussiness in check.
Trusted Since 1856
As with any product given to an infant, check with a healthcare provider before use. Kolik Alcohol-Free Gripe Water is made in Canada and licensed by Health Canada, part of the same family of pediatric care products Dr. Chase has developed under pharmacist guidance for four generations.
