Colic

ARTICLE SECTIONS

Definition Symptoms Causes Risk factors When to seek medical advice Tests and diagnosis

Complications Treatments and drugs Lifestyle and home remedies Coping and support Alternative medicine

Definition

All babies cry. But some babies cry more than others do. And a few babies — although they're healthy, well-fed and well cared for — seem to cry inconsolably. If your baby cries about the same time each day and nothing you do seems to comfort him or her, your baby may have colic.

Colic is often defined as crying more than three hours a day, three days a week for more than three weeks in an otherwise well-fed, healthy baby. This frustrating and largely unexplained condition usually starts a few weeks after birth and often improves by age 3 months.

Colic can be distressing for both you and your baby. But take comfort in the fact that it's not permanent. In fact, in a matter of weeks or months — when your baby is happier and sleeping better — you'll have weathered one of the first major challenges of parenthood.

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Symptoms