You bring your newborn home, and for weeks you marvel at your baby who does lilliputian more than than slumber, eat, pee and cry.

And then one 24-hour interval a few weeks later, he erupts in prolonged, ear-shattering wails, complete with clenched fists, flailing legs and an unhappy cherry face.

No matter what you endeavour, you can't condolement your crying baby — and that's non all: He repeats these heartbreaking, stressful episodes every nighttime at the same time for what seems like forever. Welcome to the world of colic.

What is colic?

The reality is, all babies cry. Information technology'south the all-time (and only) way for them to communicate their needs at this tender historic period. And as parents, nosotros're biologically programmed to respond so those needs get met.

Only in babies with colic, the crying starts suddenly for no credible reason … and has no apparent cure.

Colic is not a disease or diagnosis but a combination of baffling behaviors. Information technology's really just a take hold of-all term for excessive crying in otherwise healthy babies — the problem being, there's no solution to it besides the passing of time. And information technology's common, occurring in roughly 1 in 5 infants.

These fussy periods can go on for hours at a time, sometimes late into the nighttime. Worst of all, try as you might — and attempt you will — it's extremely hard to at-home a colicky baby, which but compounds your ain frustration, worry and exhaustion.

Doctors unremarkably diagnose infant colic based on the "rules of three." Your baby'southward crying:

  • Totals at least 3 hours a day
  • Occurs at least three days a week
  • Persists for at to the lowest degree iii weeks in a row

How to soothe colic in babies

In add-on to frustration and exhaustion, y'all may have feelings of inadequacy and guilt as you endeavor in vain to soothe your fussy baby. And so while staying calm is easier said than done, these strategies may assistance ease the strain until colic passes.

Just give each a fair shot earlier you switch to another (and don't pull out too many tricks at one time, or you'll overload baby's circuits — and step up the crying you're trying to stop). Talk to your physician for tips and possible causes of your baby'south colic also.

If you suspect overstimulation:

  • Respond. Crying is a infant's but way of communicating his needs. Just it's besides his only mode of wielding any control at all over a vast and bewildering new surroundings: He cries, you come running to his side — powerful stuff when you're otherwise completely powerless. In fact, studies show that responding promptly to your baby'southward cries volition reduce his crying in the long run.
  • Excise excitement. Limit visitors and avert exposing your baby to new experiences in stimulating environments, peculiarly in the late afternoon and early on evening. Watch how your baby responds to certain stimuli — and steer articulate of any that seem to offend.
  • Create at-home. Trying to make your baby'southward environment peaceful might help him relax. Dim the lights, speak or sing in soothing tones (or don't speak at all) and go on other noise and distractions to a minimum.

If you suspect gastrointestinal issues:

  • Apply pressure to infant's breadbasket. Some colicky babies notice relief when pressure is placed on the abdomen — and the power of touch solitary tin be very soothing for both parent and kid. And then place your infant face-down on your lap or upright with his tummy against your shoulder, or try the "colic conduct," where your fiddling one lies face-down with his belly resting on your arm. And then gently rub or pat his dorsum as you concur him.
  • Try burping your baby.If your infant's inconsolable fussiness is due to gas, sometimes burping him will help relieve the hurting. Brand sure you're burping your infant finer.
  • Ask about antigas drops.Studies testify that reducing gas may reduce the discomfort (and crying). So ask your pediatrician almost trying gas drops fabricated with simethicone, which works past breaking up gas bubbles and can salvage your infant'southward symptoms. Though research hasn't yet shown that this treatment definitively helps with colic, your dr. may call back it's worth a effort.
  • Consider probiotics. Probiotic drops may potentially adjourn the crying in some colicky babies, probably because they ease tummy troubles (probiotic bacteria abound naturally in the digestive tract and help promote abdominal health). Again, inquiry is very limited, merely cheque with your pediatrician to run across if you should give information technology a go.
  • Spotter what you eat. If yous're breastfeeding, talk to your doctor almost whether you should endeavor temporarily eliminating any foods from your diet that tin can cause tum troubles for your baby, such as gas-causing cruciferous veggies (cabbage, cauliflower and others), acidic citrus fruits or allergenic foods (dairy, soy, wheat, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish).
  • Ask about switching formulas. For some formula-fed infants, swapping a standard variety for one designed for sensitive tummies or one that doesn't contain moo-cow's milk can make a difference. Studies have establish that giving colicky babies hypoallergenic whey-hydrolyzed formula decreases colic symptoms in some babies. Just be sure to become your doctor'south approval before making the switch. Also, steer clear of casein-hydrolyzed formula or partially hydrolyzed formulas equally therapies for colic — there simply isn't plenty testify that they work.

Other calming remedies for colicky babies:

  • Get close.Not only does cuddling, wearing or conveying your babe give him the pleasure of security and physical closeness to you (and later on nine months of constant closeness, that may be only what baby's crying for), only it may help you lot tune in ameliorate to his needs. Worried that holding your infant also much will make him spoiled or clingy? Set those fears aside. Yous can't spoil a newborn — so if holding him seems to soothe him, cuddle abroad.
  • Swaddle.Toss a blanket in the dryer and while it's however warm, wrap it snugly around your little one. The combination of warmth and the feeling of security may assistance dry infant'south tears.
  • Try white noise. The hum of the vacuum cleaner or dryer can be comforting to babies (it reminds them of the womb). A white noise automobile can besides help.
  • Play soothing music.A crying baby might also respond to the tranquillity singing of a lullaby or softly playing classical music. Other infants enjoy the sounds of nature or the whir of a fan. Repeating "shh" or "ahh" to your little one can also assist. Experiment to notice something your baby seems to similar.
  • Make it move.Try swinging or rocking. Newborns observe gentle movement comforting, since it feels similar what they experienced in the womb.
  • Offering a pacifier. Some colicky babies seem to desire to swallow all the fourth dimension — and that might be considering sucking is soothing, not because they're hungry. So if your child seems ravenous frequently and acceptable feedings don't seem to satisfy him, a pacifier might help. Check in with your doctor if you're not sure whether baby is getting enough to eat at mealtimes, though.
  • Go out of the house.Sometimes merely a change to an outdoor location will magically change a baby's mood. Move can help besides. Accept your baby for a walk in the stroller or carrier, or strap him into the auto seat for a drive (but turn around and head habitation if the crying continues in the machine — otherwise information technology could distract you from the road).

Remember, you should never give your baby any medication, herbal or otherwise, without talking to your pediatrician first. And ever talk to your doctor before making major changes in your diet or your babe'due south.

Colic symptoms

How do yous know for sure if your baby'south colicky? Here are some signs of colic to await out for:

  • It bears repeating, merely colic generally follows a "rules of three" pattern: The crying lasts a total of at least three hours a day, at least three days a week and for at to the lowest degree three sequent weeks.
  • Crying often occurs at around the aforementioned fourth dimension every twenty-four hours (commonly in the late afternoon or early on evening, only information technology can vary).
  • Your baby seems to be crying for no reason (non because he has a dirty diaper or is hungry or tired).
  • Baby may pull upwards his legs, clench his fists and generally motility his legs and arms more.
  • Your baby volition often volition shut his eyes or open them very wide, furrow his forehead and even hold his breath briefly.
  • Bowel action may increase, and he may laissez passer gas or spit up.
  • Eating and sleeping are disrupted by the crying — baby frantically seeks a nipple only to reject it once sucking has begun, or dozes for a few moments just to wake up screaming.

What'southward the deviation betwixt colic and normal crying?

There isn't a clear definition of exactly what colic is or how (and if) it differs from other types of crying.

Simply doctors typically concur that colic crying is louder, more than intense and higher-pitched than normal crying — sometimes well-nigh like screaming.

Colicky babies also seem inconsolable, and tend to cry more than throughout the day than babies without colic. (It may very well feel similar around the clock, much to tired and fraught parents' dismay, but in reality it could corporeality to a few hours total.)

Most frequently, colicky periods recur daily, though some babies take an occasional night off.

How to Calm a Crying Newborn

When does colic start and cease?

The skillful news is that baby colic doesn't last forever. Virtually bouts start when baby is near ii to 3 weeks former (afterward in premature infants), peak at around 6 weeks and then typically begin to taper off by x to 12 weeks.

By 3 months (though unremarkably a little later in preterm babies), most colicky infants seem to be miraculously cured. The colic may stop all of a sudden — or cease gradually, with some expert days and some bad days until most of them are expert and it's clear the stage has passed.

In the meantime, a piffling noesis and a lot of patience will help you survive until the tempest subsides.

What causes colic in babies?

While the exact cause of colic is a mystery, experts do know that it's non the result of genetics or anything that happened during pregnancy or childbirth. Nor is it any reflection on parenting skills. And it's as well not anyone's fault.

That said, here are some theories on possible causes of colicky crying:

  • Overstimulated senses.One explanation: Newborns have a congenital-in mechanism for tuning out sights and sounds effectually them, which allows them to sleep and eat without being disturbed by their environment. Near the end of the commencement month, even so, this mechanism disappears — leaving babies more sensitive to the stimuli in their surroundings. With and so many new sensations coming at them, some infants become overwhelmed, frequently at the terminate of the 24-hour interval. To release that stress, they cry (and cry and cry). Colic ends, the theory goes, when baby learns how to filter out some environmental stimuli and, in doing then, avoids a sensory overload.
  • An immature digestive system. Digesting food is a big task for a baby's brand new gastrointestinal system. Equally a issue, food may laissez passer through as well quickly and not interruption down completely, resulting in pain from gas in the intestines.
  • Babe acid reflux. Inquiry has institute that infant GERD (gastroesophageal reflux affliction) tin can trigger episodes in colicky babies, though it doesn't cause colic. Babe GERD is often the result of an underdeveloped lower esophageal sphincter, the muscle that keeps stomach acid from flowing dorsum up into the throat and mouth, which can irritate the esophagus. Symptoms include frequent spitting upwards, poor eating and irritability during and after feedings. The good news is, most babies outgrow GERD by age 1 (and colic ordinarily goes away long before then).
  • Food allergies or sensitivity. Some experts believe that colic is the upshot of an allergy to moo-cow's milk proteins (or lactose intolerance) in formula-fed babies. Less often, colic may be a reaction to specific foods in Mom'southward diet in breastfed babies. Either way, these allergies or sensitivity can crusade tummy pain that may set up off colicky behavior.
  • Tobacco exposure. Several studies testify that moms who smoke during or later on pregnancy are more probable to have babies with colic, and secondhand smoke may besides be a culprit. Though the link exists, it'due south unclear how cigarette smoke might be related to colic. The bottom line for many more meaning wellness reasons: Don't fume or let anyone else fume effectually your baby.

Gripe water and colic

In the category of "little show, lots of anecdotes" is gripe water, touted as an herbal remedy for everything from baby gas to colic.

Some parents swear by gripe h2o as a way to at-home a colicky babe, but no reliable studies have shown its effectiveness in relieving colic symptoms. And because information technology'due south not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), gripe water can also be a wild card in terms of what's actually in it and in what quantities. Always check with your pediatrician earlier giving your babe gripe water or any other treatment marketed equally baby colic drops.

Tips for parents on coping with colic

Though it can safely be said that fifty-fifty hours and hours of daily crying doesn't seem to hurt a baby, it certainly does go out its mark on parents. Listening to a baby'south screams can exist heartbreaking, upsetting and anxiety-provoking and can take a physical and emotional price.

To cope with colicky crying that just won't quit, endeavour the following:

  • Break information technology up. A fresh set of arms sometimes induces calm in a crying baby. If there are two parents at abode during babe's witching hours, make sure colic duty is divided up equally between the 2 of you (an hour on, an hour off, a night on, a night off, or any organization works best).
  • Take a suspension. Information technology'due south of import to respond to crying, which is an babe's only way to communicate. Just every in one case in a while, taking a 10- to 15- minute suspension during a peculiarly trying crying marathon won't hurt — and it might assistance both of you get through this challenging phase of babyhood.
  • Tune out a little. Employ earplugs, noise-canceling headphones or listen to music to lessen the effect of your infant's wails. Don't tune out your babe so much that you tin can't hear him at all or for long periods of time, but at to the lowest degree the bouts of wailing won't be as loud for a fiddling while.
  • Talk about it. Do a little crying yourself — on a willing shoulder: your spouse's, the pediatrician's, a family fellow member'southward, a friend's. Just knowing you're not alone in the world of inconsolable babies can make a globe of difference.
  • Get help. If you lot're at the end of your rope, don't hesitate ask for help — whether from your partner, female parent, friend or babysitter. And if y'all find that you're consistently feeling overwhelmed or are having trouble coping, talk to your doctor or a mental wellness professional person. You'll not only feel improve — parental counseling has actualy been shown to reduce infant crying.

When to telephone call the physician about colic in babies

While the odds are that your baby's daily screaming sessions are due to colic, if it seems similar your baby is crying excessively, start by seeing the pediatrician.

The medico can examine your infant to dominion out any other potential causes of excessive crying. And if they recollect you're definitely dealing with colic? It'due south proficient to get some reassurance and peradventure a few actress soothing strategies.

Describing the crying (its elapsing, intensity, pattern, whatever variation from the norm and any accompanying symptoms) volition also help the dr. rule out any underlying medical condition (like reflux, an infection or a milk allergy) that could be triggering the crying.

Continue in mind, too, that this shall laissez passer: Just when yous call back you can't accept another nighttime of it, the crying will allow up — and so information technology's gone forever.

As wiped-out every bit y'all may be, give yourself a well-earned pat on the back. You've just survived your first major challenge of parenthood.