Colic in Infants

🌿 Overview

Severe, unexplained crying and abdominal pain in infants, typically beginning around the 3rd week and resolving by 12 weeks. Usually caused by gas, food sensitivities, or diet.

Colic is frequent, prolonged crying in an otherwise healthy, well-fed baby, often in the late afternoon or evening, typically beginning in the first few weeks of life and easing by around three to four months. The baby may draw up the legs, clench the fists, and seem in discomfort. Its cause is not fully understood, and importantly, it is not the parents' fault and does not mean anything is seriously wrong.

Gentle soothing and patience help most: holding and rocking, gentle motion, a warm bath, tummy or back rubbing, white noise, swaddling, and checking feeding technique (winding well, and an upright position during and after feeds). A health professional can advise if a feeding adjustment might help. Crucially, parents need support too, as relentless crying is exhausting — it is okay to put the baby down somewhere safe and take a short break to gather yourself. Any fever, poor feeding, vomiting, an unusual cry, or a baby who seems genuinely unwell beyond colic warrants prompt medical review.

Common signs

• Abdominal pain, distension, extreme fretfulness, insomnia, and inconsolable crying.
• The infant pulls knees up to the abdomen, has a distended stomach, and may turn red in the face.
• Symptoms typically worsen at night.
• Colic usually begins around weeks 3–4 and resolves by week 12.

🔎 Why it happens

Common causes and triggers — spotting yours is often the first step to relief.

• Abnormal amounts of gas passing through the infant's stomach and intestines.
• Food allergies are a frequent cause — in breastfed babies, the mother's diet is often the trigger.
• Common offenders in the mother's diet include onions, cabbage, garlic, wheat, yeast, broccoli, and brussels sprouts, as well as fried foods and refined foods.
• In formula-fed infants, the milk, wheat, soy, or sugar in the formula is often the cause.
• Drugs given to the mother during labor and delivery increase colic risk.
• Milk formulas that use pork skin to fortify vitamin D commonly cause allergies and colic.

✅ What to do

Gentle, practical steps you can take at home — start at the top.

1. Give the infant warm catnip teaA warm drink made by steeping herbs in hot water. How to make a tea → in a bottle.
2. A catnip teaA warm drink made by steeping herbs in hot water. How to make a tea → enema can also help.
3. Warm anise, peppermint, chamomile, thyme, or catnip teaA warm drink made by steeping herbs in hot water. How to make a tea → — prepare 1 cup and give 1 tablespoon at a time.
4. A very warm bath given an hour before an expected attack may help prevent it.
5. A hot footbath or hot fomentationA hot, moist cloth pressed on the body — classic hydrotherapy. How to make a fomentation → over the abdomen relieves gas pain.
6. Give 1–2 oz. of warm water.
7. Activated charcoal helps relieve gas — stir a little powdered charcoal in water and give it; do not overdo it as it can cause constipation and will blacken the stool.
8. Pancreatic enzymes (75–200 mg three times daily before meals), flaxseed oil (1–2 drops after each meal), and vitaminA natural substance your body needs in small amounts to stay healthy, like vitamin C or D. More → B6 (10 mg, twice daily) may help.
9. For breastfed babies, the nursing mother should eliminate suspected foods one at a time and keep a diet diary.
10. Offer fresh boiled goat's milk as an alternative to cow's milk formulas — it is less likely to cause problems.
11. Feed the baby in an upright position and burp frequently.

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🍽️ Eating to help

Food is one of the gentlest medicines — small, steady changes help most.

If breastfeeding, the mother should avoid onions, cabbage, garlic, wheat, yeast, broccoli, brussels sprouts, fried foods, refined foods, and confused food combinations. Both mother and baby need an excellent diet. If formula-fed, try substituting vitamin-enriched goat's milk. Do not introduce grains until 5–6 months of age when the infant's digestive enzymes can handle them. Do not give yeast bread before 12 months. Add only one new food at a time after weaning.

📚 Learn more

Trusted, independent sources for further reading. These open in a new tab.

• Baby colic — Wikipedia ↗

💬 Ask Remy about Colic in Infants