Colic is a common pediatric disorder that is now believed to be due to intestinal problems. The disorder usually begins just prior to the first month of age and almost always disappears between three and four months of age. It is characterized by inconsolable crying that typically lasts three to four hours and usually begins in mid-evening. Rarely do attacks last beyond 8:00 p.m. at night. Parents of children whose typical colic lasts until late in the night may be especially distraught.
In colic, the child’s cry is typically different from the usual crying episodes that children experience during the day. Intermittent, unexplainable crying throughout the day is usually not consistent with colic but may represent a specific medical problem or only indicate a “fussy” child. Once colic has been diagnosed, caregivers should adopt a psychologic approach to this special type of discomfort that their baby feels. Recommendations include the following:
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Although crying is essentially harmless, caregivers should attempt to soothe a colicky baby rather than leaving them to cry. |
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When most unavoidable caregiver burnout occurs and the feelings of anger or resentment arise, the caregiver should retreat to a safe place and allow the child to continue crying until a sense of calmness occurs. |
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Accepting the fact that each attack will end before the usual caregiver’s bedtime will often reduce frustration that the crying will disrupt the caregiver’s sleep. Although shaking or yelling at a child may temporarily disrupt their crying due to a startled effect on the distressed child, the crying will immediately recur at even greater intensity. Also, shaking may cause physical harm to the child. |
Colic remedies abound and such successes are probably due to the fact that colic has many different origins. Also, due to the spontaneous resolution of colic, a newly tried intervention may seemingly succeed but it may only be due to the coincidal, natural resolution of a particular baby’s colic.
In treating a colicky infant, it is important to reduce the intake of substances that may irritate an infant’s gastrointestinal tract such as excess air and milk products. Milk often serves as a significant irritant to infants and such a correlation may lead a physician or caregiver to conclude that the child is actually allergic to milk. Specific remedies worth truing are listed below:
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Gentle back rubbing while a child is lying across a lap may be helpful. Additionally, gentle massage of the stomach in a similar situation may reduce discomfort. A hot water bottle wrapped in towels may further be soothing |
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Avoiding air intake with feeding is essential and there are many specialized bottles on the market that fulfill this requirement |
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Music is often successful in many cases. Fortunately, any music or recorded sounds are helpful as long as the music is not loud or hard rock. Music often stimulates an infant’s interest and may reduce their concentration on their intestinal discomfort |
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The Night Night Comfort Bear that reacts to a child’s crying may be helpful in select children. It costs approximately $30.00. Call 1-800-763-274 |
| Herbal solutions should be administered with care if at all. They should be diluted and lukewarm at most. Honey should never be used in children under the age of two due to risk of infantile botulism. Your physician should approve the use of remedies |
| Mylicon drops are available over-the-counter and may work in some children. This product contains harmless simethicone which breaks up intestinal gas both infants and adults. This product is quite safe in infants |
| Other more potent medications can be prescribed by the primary physician but are typically avoided in most colicky infants since the disorder is self-limited in duration and severity. However, crying that persists beyond all interventions may require another visit to the primary physician to ensure that a medical disorder is not responsible for the child's discomfort |
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