What is colic?

Colic is extreme crying in a baby between 3 weeks and 3 months of age. Doctors may diagnose colic when a baby is healthy but cries more than 3 hours a day, more than 3 days a week, for more than 3 weeks. The crying is often more intense than normal crying.

It can be very hard to calm a baby after a session of colic has started. Home treatment will not cure colic, but it may help your baby cry less hard and less often. Try different ways to comfort your baby to see what works best. If nothing works, put your baby in a crib and stay close by. Try again after about 5 minutes. Babies usually grow out of colic by about 3 months of age.

Most babies will cry less when they are held, fed, and given attention. These things may not work for babies who have colic. When they are crying, they may clench their fists and stiffen their stomach and legs. Some babies arch their back, while others pull up their legs to their stomach.

Vomiting, diarrhea, fever, or blood or mucus in the stool is not a symptom of colic. If your baby has any of these symptoms, your baby needs to be checked by a doctor.

If you are worried about your baby's crying, see your doctor or talk about it at your baby's next routine checkup.

To find out if crying is colic, your doctor will do a physical exam and ask you about your baby's past health. The doctor may ask what comfort measures you have tried and whether you've noticed any other symptoms. You may also be asked how the crying affects you and to show how you feed and burp your baby. Your doctor may suggest that you keep track of when and how often your baby cries.

If your baby has other symptoms, such as vomiting or a fever, your doctor may do lab tests or X-rays to find out what is causing them.

Things that might help include making sure that your baby isn't hungry. Young babies may be hungry 1 or 2 hours after a feeding. Try soothing your baby with motion or sound, like gentle rocking or quiet singing. If you feel overwhelmed, maybe you could ask someone to give you a break.

All babies cry, but sometimes a baby will cry for hours at a time, no matter what you do. This extreme type of crying in a baby between 3 weeks and 3 months of age is called colic. Although it is upsetting for parents and caregivers, colic is normal for some babies.

Doctors usually diagnose colic when a healthy baby cries more than expected: more than 3 hours a day more than 3 days a week for at least 3 weeks in a row. Colic is usually worst when babies are around 6 to 8 weeks of age and goes away on its own between 8 and 14 weeks of age.

It is common to feel scared, upset, or frustrated when you cannot get your baby to stop crying. But remember that colic is normal—and temporary. Your baby will grow out of it.

The exact cause of colic is not known. It is possible that some foods may affect breast milk and contribute to intestinal gas or other digestive problems. These problems may make crying episodes worse.

Foods that often affect breast milk in this way include:

• Garlic, onions, cabbage, turnips, broccoli, and beans.
• Apricots, rhubarb, prunes, melons, peaches, and other fresh fruits.
• Cow's milk.
• Caffeine.

If you suspect that your baby's crying becomes worse after feeding with breast milk, keep a record of what you eat and how your baby acts, especially when crying episodes occur.

Using unapproved or unproven substances or methods to treat colic could harm your baby.

Treatments that could be dangerous include:

• Medicines, such as antispasmodics or sleep aids. These and other medicines can have serious and even deadly side effects in infants. If your doctor prescribes them to treat other symptoms your baby is having, be sure to follow the instructions carefully.
• Placing a hot-water bottle or heating pad on your baby's stomach. Babies burn easily, so do not use heated items such as these.
• Quieting a baby with alcohol. It's even dangerous to give your baby a pacifier dipped in brandy or other types of alcohol.
• Gripe water. Different kinds of ingredients are used in blends labeled as gripe water. Alcohol is a main ingredient in some of them. Gripe water is an herbal home remedy that is not considered safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Some companies sell gripe water in the United States as a dietary supplement, instead of as a medicine, to avoid FDA regulation.

Other things to avoid include:

• Stopping breastfeeding. Sometimes people believe that they may not be producing enough milk for their baby or that their baby is allergic to the milk. But this is rarely the case, and weaning a colicky baby to formula can make the colic worse.
• Feeding foods (such as baby cereal and solids) earlier than recommended.
• Switching to a soy-based formula when milk allergy symptoms are not present.