Colic: What It Is, Why It Happens, and How to Cope

Few things rattle new parents like a baby who cries for hours and cannot be consoled. If that's your evenings, you may be dealing with colic. It's exhausting and frightening — but it's common, it doesn't harm your baby, and it passes.

The "rule of 3s"

Colic is generally defined as crying that lasts:

• 3+ hours a day
• 3+ days a week
• For 3+ weeks

in an otherwise healthy, well-fed baby. It usually starts around 2–3 weeks, peaks around 6 weeks, and resolves by 3–4 months.

What causes it

Honestly, no one is certain. Leading theories include an immature digestive system, sensitivity to stimulation, an evolving gut, and a still-developing nervous system. Colic is not caused by anything you did or didn't do.

What can help

• The 5 S's: swaddle, side hold, shush, swing, suck.
• Motion: a walk, a drive, baby-wearing, a gentle bounce.
• Reduce stimulation: dim, quiet, calm — especially in the evening.
• Tummy and gas relief: bicycle legs, the colic carry.
• A feeding check: rule out reflux or (rarely) a milk-protein sensitivity with your doctor.

Protecting yourself matters too

Relentless crying is one of the hardest parts of early parenthood. It's okay — and important — to put your baby down safely in the crib and step away for a few minutes if you feel overwhelmed. Never shake a baby. Trade shifts, ask for help, and tell your pediatrician how you are doing, not just the baby.

When to call the doctor

Rule out other causes if crying comes with fever, vomiting, poor feeding, blood in stool, or a change in the cry that worries you.

Tracking the peak — and the end

Logging crying spells in Baby Signal helps in two ways: it gives your pediatrician concrete information, and it lets you see the peak pass. Watching the daily crying time shrink week over week is one of the few comforts during colic — proof that it really is ending.