What Causes Colic In Babies?

June 11, 2023 New Parent Steps

Ever wonder why babies get colic? What is baby colic?

When your infant starts crying and you don’t know why they get so fussy all of a sudden. Babies don’t understand why they feel bad.

Colic in babies, according to the Mayoclinic, presents itself as a generalized fussiness, intense and frequent crying spells.

Crying spells lasting for long periods of time and for no apparent reason.

These intense episodes of distress often occur in the evening.

No amount of consoling seems to quell the baby’s distress. Let’s look at symptoms of colic in babies, behaviors and remedies of colicky infants.

How Do I Know My Baby Has Colic?

The signs and symptoms attributed to colicky babies vary. The timeline new parents may begin to see this phase is at about 6 weeks of age.

This extends to about 3 months old. The intensity of symptoms will decline by 4 months old.

Back to seeing if your baby has colic. If intense crying bouts last more than 3 hours a day, this is a sign.

If it happens more than 3 days per week and occurs for more than 3 weeks, that’s a colicky baby. Watch for a red or flushed face.

Or if they pull their feet up to their chest or arch the back, also a possibility. In most cases colic will go away on its own.

Good news, the situation is only temporary.

Hopkins Medicine states,

“About 6 months, this phase will have run its course. Infants grow and gain weight normally so there are no long term negative side effects to worry about.”

What Causes Colic In Babies?

What causes colic in babies exactly? Nobody really knows for sure.

Babies are going through so many changes during this phase of development. We know it starts about 3 weeks old.

Some people think colic is a result of abdominal cramping due to the digestive system forming rapidly. A tight baby belly can result from this.

This is speculation from some experts. Other reasons include:

Reflux
Stress from caregiver
Gas
Lactose intolerance

Colic pain in baby can come from food allergies like the milk protein in dairy called lactase. It could also be an imbalance of healthy bacteria in the digestive tract.

A stressful environment can be a factor. Another factor could present itself as air being swallowed while breastfeeding or nursing.

Symptoms Of Colic In Babies

What is colic pain in babies? A puzzling question many new parents ponder.

If it happens, you may think it’s due to hunger or tiredness. Knowing what to look for can help you detect if its colic.

Here are symptoms of colicky infants:

Crying spells
Arched back
Tantrums and fussiness
Tension in legs and arms
Tightly clenched fists
Swollen abdomen
Painful look on face
Passing gas

The motiveless crying spells. Tantrums out of left field. Their diaper doesn’t need changing and they aren’t hungry. What gives?

Keep a record of when your baby’s crying spells occur. Well documented patterns could help your doctor diagnose.

How To Soothe Colic Baby

Managing colic can cause undue stress on new parents when trying to care for their child. Colic pain in babies seems severe and excruciating.

The best option is to be proactive in an attempt to lessen severity and duration.

Babies may get some relief after passing gas or having bowel movement. Passing gas could be the result of swallowed air during intense crying.

So how do you prevent colic? There is unfortunately no cure for colic but there are actions that may soothe pain and relieve stress.

Here’s 3 steps on how to soothe colic baby:

Try sitting your baby up straight when feeding.
Try holding or rocking your baby using a swaying motion.
Try burping or perhaps adjusting diet (like eating less spicy foods).

Pre-Colic Remedy for Breastfed Babies

A precursor colic remedy for breastfed babies is to make sure they’re properly latched during feeding.

Any avoided air swallowed is beneficial. It’s important to mention swallowed air doesn’t directly cause baby colic.

If a preventative measure can be taken to possibly dodge an intense crying episode in the near future, try it.

If it couldn’t harm an infant in any way is worth trying. The reward could be a calmer newborn and less crying spells.

Do Colicky Infants Outgrow It?

Do all babies get colic? Baby colic affects around 20% of babies born.

There is an opportunity for future research in this field to be done to understand this phenomenon better.

Luckily, it is a temporary discomfort that works itself out in due time. A decrease in severity of colic after 4 months old is common.

By 6 months old, it should be completely done.

By knowing the causes, symptoms and a few methods to try will help better identify the issue in real time – or prevent it from happening.

Consideration should be given to the possibility of it also being baby reflux. Study their behavior and write down any patterns you see.

Some parents have to go through baby colic symptoms.

Some do not. If you do, know it doesn’t last long. New parents should always seek help from a family doctor if they have any immediate concerns.

Infant Colic FAQ

When does colic peak? About 2 months old
How long does colic last? About 10-12 weeks
How late can colic start? About 4-5 weeks
Do all babies get colic? No, not all newborns get infant colic