Does your baby have colic?

If your healthy and well-fed infant experiences intermittent periods of crying and fussiness that last three or more hours and happen on three or more days of the week, your baby has colic. Usually, these periods of fussiness and crying take place in the afternoon or in the evening and are typically manageable by holding, cuddling, or rocking the infant. The good news is that colic disappears by the age of 3-4 months.

Where does colic come from?

Predictability of colicky behaviors suggests that colic is a part of normal development. These behaviors are most likely mediated by the infant’s nervous system. Since the infant’s bodily systems (i.e. cardiovascular, respiratory, and nervous) are immature and learn to work as the baby develops, the immaturity of the nervous system might be responsible for inefficient processing of the incoming information. As the baby becomes overstimulated during the day, her immature immune system experiences an overload of stimuli and puts her into a state of colic. With time, as the nervous system matures and becomes more apt in handling information, the infant can cope with everyday stimuli better and colicky behaviors resolve.

Try these remedies for colic:

Keep everyday stimuli low (low lights, low noise level, etc.)

Swaddle your baby (being wrapped like a burrito provides a sense of safety and helps to decrease some sensations hence lowers the amount of stimulation)

Try monotonous activities, such as: going on a car ride, swinging in a swing, rocking, etc.

Play monotonous “white noise” (the sound of the vacuum cleaner or dryer that you can record on a tape)

Play soothing music (classical or jazz are good choices)

If gas seems to be a problem, try Mylicon drops


If everything else fails, or at any time you are concerned with the way your infant looks or acts, contact your health care provider immediately.