What is Colic in babies?

Colic in babies

What is colic?

Babies who have colic are not ill, but they cry a lot more than babies usually do. Doctors say babies have colic when they cry for at least three hours a day, for three days a week, for at least three weeks.

Colic usually starts when a baby is a few weeks old and stops when they're 4 or 5 months old.

Source:
Lucassen PL, Assendelft WJ, Gubbels LW, et al.
Infantile colic: crying time reduction with a whey hydrolysate; a double blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial.
Pediatrics. 2000; 106: 1349-1354.

¹ No one knows what causes it.

Colic can be distressing, but it doesn't mean your baby is ill.

Some researchers think that colic could be caused by gas or painful bowel cramps. Some babies might be sensitive to lactose, a sugar that's in cow's milk. Other babies might be sensitive to the

proteins
A lot of your body's tissues are made out of proteins. Proteins can be made in your cells. Proteins are also part of the food you eat, particularly meat and dairy products. Your body breaks down the protein you eat into amino acids. Your cells then use these amino acids to build new proteins, which make up muscles, joints, hair and other parts of your body.

protein in cow's milk.

¹ So your baby might get colic if you are giving them formula milk that's based on cow’s milk.

But other researchers think that colic isn't caused by stomach problems. They think that some babies just cry a lot, and some parents are more worried by their baby's crying.

There are things that seem to bring on colic, although researchers don't know for sure.

Source:
Medline Plus.
Colic and crying.
Available at www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000978.htm (accessed on 7 July 2009).

Source:
Reijneveld SA, Brugman E, Hirasing A.
Infantile colic: maternal smoking as potential risk factor.
Archives of Disease in Childhood. 2000; 83: 302-303

If you're breastfeeding, the following things could trigger colic.

What you eat. If you're breastfeeding, what you eat goes into your breast milk. Chocolate, dairy products, spicy food, caffeine (found in coffee, tea, cola, and some other drinks), and some fruits and vegetables might bother your baby and bring on colic.
A medication that you might be taking. This is because some medications go through to your breast milk.
Smoking. If you smoke, your baby will get nicotine and other chemicals through your breast milk.

Fast bottle-feeding might also trigger colic. If you're bottle-feeding and your baby feeds in less than 20 minutes, the hole in the bottle's nipple might be too large.

It's important to remember that colic isn't caused by you doing anything wrong. And it won't harm your baby.

Sources for the information on this page:

Lucassen PL, Assendelft WJ, Gubbels LW, et al.Infantile colic: crying time reduction with a whey hydrolysate; a double blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial.Pediatrics. 2000; 106: 1349-1354.

Medline Plus.Colic and crying.Available at www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000978.htm (accessed on 7 July 2009).

Reijneveld SA, Brugman E, Hirasing A.Infantile colic: maternal smoking as potential risk factor.Archives of Disease in Childhood. 2000; 83: 302-303

This information was last updated on Jul 10, 2009

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
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