What is colic? Tips for helping your colicky baby
Colic is the term used to describe uncontrollable crying in an otherwise healthy infant. It’s a common issue that typically begins within the first few weeks of life and peaks around six to eight weeks, but it usually resolves on its own by around three to four months of age.
“We typically diagnose colic if the baby is crying at least three hours a day, for three or more days per week, and for three weeks or more,” says Dr. Mary Ann Wilkinson, CHOC pediatrician.
“We don’t know exactly why colic occurs, but we think that these babies are unusually sensitive to stimuli or may be having trouble digesting breastmilk or formula. and are unable to self-console or regulate their nervous systems.”
Colic doesn’t mean your baby has health problems, and it will typically go away on its own. Here, Dr. Wilkinson offers tips to help soothe your colicky baby.
Possible causes of colic in babies: Breastfeeding, food intolerance and overstimulation
Doctors aren’t sure what causes colic. There are several theories about why colic may or may not occur, including:
- Breastmilk sensitivities. A colicky baby can be sensitive to foods in the mother’s breast milk, so it may be helpful for mothers to eliminate milk products, caffeine, spicy and gas-producing foods to see if this improves the baby’s digestion, Dr. Wilkinson suggests.
- Bad digestion. Sometimes colicky babies cry as a response to discomfort when digesting. If you are using a formula to feed your baby, try switching to a hypoallergenic formula to decrease gas and ease digestion, she adds.
- Overstimulation. Colic may occur if your baby is sensitive to their environment. Newborns are trying to adjust to the world they are living in, and not all babies have the same temperament. Some adjust to lights, loud noises and all the other stimulation around them with no trouble, while others are not able to self-console or adapt as well to their environments.
- Oversensitivity to gas. While some people think that gas may be to blame for colic, there is little evidence to support this. In fact, treating gas has no effect on colic in babies. Doctors do not think that babies with colic produce more gas than others. If a baby with colic seems to pass more gas than other babies do, it is probably due to swallowing more air while crying for prolonged periods.
Colic signs and symptoms in babies
The main colic symptom is inconsolable crying that:
- Occurs at the same time every day.
- Lasts for more than three hours a day.
- Happens more than three days a week.
- Occurs for more than three weeks.
Other colic symptoms in babies may include:
- Screaming.
- Extending or pulling up legs.
- Clenched fists.
- Often will close eyes or open them very wide.
- Eating and sleeping are disrupted by the crying.
- Gas from swallowing too much air while crying.
- Enlarged or distended stomach.
- Arched back.
If your baby’s crying seems excessive or is accompanied by other symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea or poor weight gain, call your pediatrician to rule out any underlying medical conditions.
Coping with colic: Tips for parents
- Don’t over-feed or under-feed your baby.
- Make sure to burp the baby well after each feeding.
- Breastfeeding moms can try to avoid caffeine, milk products, gassy and spicy foods from their diet to avoid passing these onto the baby in the breast milk. Formula-fed babies can be given a hypoallergenic formula.
- Offer your baby a pacifier.
- Try various “motion” techniques to soothe the infant, such as walking them around in a baby carrier or stroller, driving them around in the car in their car seat, putting them in a swing or bouncy seat that vibrates, or using “white noise” from a fan or white noise machine to soothe them.
- Swaddle the baby to give them the feeling of being in the womb.
- Decrease environmental stimuli by turning off TVs, phones, music and by turning down the household lights.
- Take a break. Ask a relative, neighbor, friend or babysitter to watch the baby and get away for a while.
Are over-the-counter colic medications (like gripe waters) safe for babies?
Over-the-counter gas drops, such as Simethicone, may be used to help relieve gas but other over-the-counter gripe waters are not normally recommended to treat colic, says Dr. Wilkinson.
Because gripe water is an herbal remedy and not a medicine or food, it is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). That means it hasn’t been evaluated to be safe or effective and there aren’t any set standards that manufacturers need to follow when making it. Various brands of gripe water have been recalled in the past because they have posed certain dangers to babies.
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