first year

What Is Colic?

Here's how to tell whether your baby is truly colicky or just going through a fussy phase.

colic baby

All babies cry. It's the best (and only) way for them to communicate their needs at this tender age. And as parents, we are biologically programmed to respond so those needs get met. But in babies with colic, the crying starts suddenly one day for no apparent reason…and with no apparent cure.

No one is sure what colic is. What it isn't is a disease or diagnosis. Rather, colic is a combination of baffling behaviors that usually occur in a pattern of threes: Crying typically starts between three weeks and three months of age; lasts more than three hours at a stretch; occurs at least three days a week (though usually every night); and persists for at least three weeks in a row.

Most colicky babies cry at the same time every day, usually in the late afternoon or early evening. Their wails are loud, piercing, and continuous and sometimes turn into full-blown screams. During a bout, colicky babies tend to pull up their legs, clench their hands into tiny fists, and tighten their abdominal muscles. Some pass gas. Others spit up, and many get so frantic that their faces turn bright red.

Episodes of colic can go on for hours at a time, sometimes late into the night (when you're thoroughly worn out and have probably shed a few tears of your own). Worst of all, try as you might — and try you will — it's extremely difficult to calm a colicky baby, which only compounds your frustration and exhaustion.

But just when you think you can't take another night of it, the crying lets up, and then it's gone forever. And as wiped-out as you may be, give yourself a well-earned pat on the back: You've just survived your first (and maybe worst) major challenge of parenthood.