As new parents, you quickly develop an ear for your baby’s cries. One cry might indicate hunger and another a need for a diaper change. But when the crying suddenly turns into screaming, as if your child is in serious and deep pain, parents can become very distressed as no amount of attention, feeding, changing or soothing seems to help.

At Alzein Pediatrics, we understand that colic is uncontrollable intense crying that occurs regularly, without an apparent cause. Colic can be so intense that your baby’s body tenses up, they make fists, and their face flushes – it looks really painful.

While colic isn’t harmful to your infant, the intensity and persistence of the crying become real challenges for new parents.

Research suggests that anywhere from 10-30% of infants experience colic. It can begin when your infant is about two weeks old and tends to fade by the time your baby is 4 months old. No one demographic group is more or less likely to experience colic and boys and girls are equally likely to experience colic.

Colic episodes can be so intense that your Alzein Pediatrics provider sees a significant number of patient families looking for a solution. We diagnose colic based on a rule of 3s. If your baby cries 3 or more hours a day, 3 or more days a week for at least 3 weeks, you’ve got a colicky baby – and we understand how difficult this is.

The crying will be intense, occur with regularity, typically late afternoon or early evening, and seem to start abruptly. Researchers have yet to isolate a singular cause for colic. Your infant’s still-developing digestive system may play a role in colic, but not all cases respond to treatments for gas or acid reflux. Scientists think some instances of colic are early forms of migraine headaches or a response to overstimulation and emotional processing.

While we might not know much about why babies get colic, we do know that there are no serious long-term health impacts for colicky kids. Unless your child shows other signs of illness—a fever, forceful vomiting, diarrhea, or weight loss—mild colic is usually managed at home. We recommend you track your baby’s schedule to attempt to identify colic triggers and to develop a plan for soothing your child.

Colic typically occurs at regular times, which means a parent can look out for patterns leading up to an episode. Track feeding, both time and amount. If you are breastfeeding, track the mother’s diet. Is colic worse when Mom eats onions? Better when Mom eats chicken? Make adjustments to minimize gas build-up by angling or changing bottles, taking more frequent burping breaks, or repositioning. Because research suggests a possible environmental component to colic, consider reducing stimulation like music, bright lights or screens. Rearrange sleep schedules around the time your baby usually has an episode.

Perhaps the most important thing is developing a set of soothing strategies to help minimize the intensity of colic. Your child may respond better – or worse – to soothing techniques, so try them all. Skin to skin contact, swaddling, rocking or rhythmic motions, darkened rooms, decreased stimulation, and warm baths might help calm your child. If a feeding component is suspected, talk to us about administering infant gas drops.

The suddenness, intensity, and duration of colic make it very difficult for new parents. Mothers of colicky babies report higher stress, are more likely to suffer postpartum depression, and are more likely to worry about the personality of their child. Parents may feel they are not bonding with the infant, and children with colic are more likely to be physically abused.

Remember, your child cannot hurt themselves by crying. You can let them cry.

Put your baby down their crib or other safe place. Calm yourself with deep breathing as you go into another room. Make arrangements with partners, grandparents, or other loved ones to watch your baby when you anticipate a colic episode and talk a walk outside, or go to the library or other quiet space. Remind yourself that in just a few weeks (although it may seem like forever), your baby will be through this colicky stage.

Is your baby still crying, even though you’ve tried everything to soothe them? Call Alzein Pediatrics and make an appointment. We’ll check for allergies or other physical issues that could be causing uncontrollable crying. We are here to help!