Try to relax, and know that your baby will outgrow this phase. If you ever feel like you might hurt yourself or the baby, put the baby down in the crib and call for help right away.
Never shake a baby. All Babies Cry is a program that helps people learn how to soothe a baby and cope with crying.
If you are worried you might hurt your baby or someone else will, call the national hotline A-CHILD anytime for help. Reviewed by: Michelle M. Karten, MD.
Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. What Is Colic? Colic doesn't mean a baby has any health problems. With time, colic goes away on its own. During a colic spell, a baby: has high-pitched crying or screaming is very hard to soothe can have a red face or pale skin around the mouth may pull in the legs, stiffen the arms, arch the back, or clench fists What if It's Not Colic? Call your doctor right away if your baby: has a fever of Who Gets Colic? How Is Colic Diagnosed?
How Is Colic Treated? There's no treatment to make colic go away. But there are ways you can help: Make sure your baby isn't hungry. The discomfort of this may cause crying. Although almost all babies get reflux from time to time, if the condition becomes chronic that is it happens often , it is called GERD. The symptoms of acid reflux or GERD can include arching of the back, wet burps, irritability, and refusing to eat or only eating a little.
Overfeeding or underfeeding. Being hungry as well as feeling too full can cause your baby to feel uncomfortable, and your little one may express this discomfort by crying. Not enough burping. Burping your baby helps remove some of the trapped air he swallows during feeds or while crying. Food allergies or milk intolerances. If you breastfeed your baby, your little one may be sensitive to something in your diet. If your baby is on formula , he may be sensitive to an ingredient in the formula.
Exposure to tobacco smoke. Keeping your home and your baby's environment smoke-free is also crucial for protecting your baby from SIDS and from respiratory illnesses. Underlying health issues. In some rare cases it could be that your baby has colicky cries because of a medical problem like a hernia or an infection. Normal crying typically starts when your little one is about 2 weeks old.
When babies develop colic, it's usually between 2 and 4 weeks of age. About 1 in 5 babies end up with colic. Colic episodes can last for about 3 hours a day until your baby is about 6 weeks old ; then, these episodes may get shorter and last about 1 or 2 hours a day until your little one is about 3 or 4 months old. In general, colicky crying tends to stop when you child is about 4 months old, but it can sometimes last until around 6 months of age. He will be able to determine whether your little one has colic or pinpoint another medical condition.
Caring for a colicky baby can be tough, and can make many parents feel anxious and inadequate, not to mention stressed. No matter how frustrated you feel, never shake your baby. Shaking an infant can cause bleeding in the brain, leading to permanent damage and even death.
Put your baby in his crib or another safe place, and leave the room to take a break. Call your healthcare provider and make an appointment to have your baby seen to rule out a medical condition unrelated to colic. Some babies go through a period of having unexplained and regular crying each day.
This usually happens between the ages of about two weeks and 16 weeks. These bouts of crying may last for three hours or more and occur mostly in the afternoons and evenings. The baby seems to be suffering from abdominal pain. Colic affects around one in three babies. The cause is unknown but colic generally stops, without treatment, after a few weeks.
Colic tends to appear in the first two to four weeks of life and peaks at around six to eight weeks of age. Usually, the baby seems quite happy until the late afternoon or early evening. Symptoms include:. Despite much research into this common condition, the cause of colic remains unknown. There are many theories; however, some babies have colic when no clear factors seem to be the cause.
Popular theories include:. It is not clear how useful medicines for colic are. Colic gets better by itself, often quite suddenly, whether you use any medicines or not. Medications can also make babies more sleepy, which can be dangerous.
Different formulas contain different ingredients including some herbal ingredients. There is no evidence that gripe water can improve colic in babies and such products should only be used in consultation with your doctor. This should only be done with help from a doctor, to ensure the nutritional needs of both mother and baby are met. It may be useful to reduce the amount of caffeine a mother is having through coffee, tea, cola or other drinks and foods. Brewed coffee and energy drinks contain particularly high levels of caffeine.
Babies, especially if they are breastfed, are likely to have plenty of lactobacillus acidophilus. Some infant formulas now have added lactobacillus probiotics but this does not seem to make a lot of difference for babies with colic.
A crying baby needs to be checked by a doctor, to make sure there is no health problem causing pain or discomfort. Learn more. Colic is when a healthy baby cries for a very long time, for no obvious reason. It is most common during the first 6 weeks of life. It usually goes away on its own by age 3 to 4 months.
Up to 1 in 4 newborn babies may have it. Colic often begins suddenly, with loud and mostly nonstop crying. This constant, extreme crying can be very stressful and difficult for parents. Babies with colic are often fussy, gassy, and don't sleep well. But in most cases they grow and gain weight normally. Colic will go away on its own. This often happens by age 3 months, and in most cases by age 6 months. There are a few theories about why it happens. Colic may occur when babies:.
A healthy baby may have colic if he or she cries or is fussy for several hours a day, for no obvious reason. Colicky babies often cry from 6 p. Colicky crying is louder, more high-pitched, and more urgent sounding than regular crying. Colicky babies can be very hard to calm down. The symptoms of colic can be like other health conditions. Make sure your child sees his or her healthcare provider for a diagnosis. He or she will give your child a physical exam. You may be asked questions such as:.
Blood tests and X-rays or other imaging tests may be done. These can help find out if your baby has other health problems. There are many tips for helping to soothe and deal with a colicky baby.
Know that this is a common problem for new babies. Talk with your child's healthcare provider to find out more about colic and what you can do. If your baby is bottle-fed, it may help to use a curved bottle. This lets you hold your baby in an upright position.
To reduce the amount of air your baby swallows during feeding, burp your baby often. Using a bottle with a collapsible bag or liner may also help. Learning how to understand your baby's cry can help in dealing with colic. It takes some time for parents and babies to get used to each other.
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