Colic can be one of the most frustrating things for a parent. Experts aren’t entirely certain what it is that causes colic, and there is no guaranteed cure for colic. In fact, it is thought that colic may actually be caused by different things for different babies. There are, however, some ways that you can ease your baby’s colic. Recognizing that your baby has colic is the very first step in trying to help your baby with colic, and to reduce the frequency and duration of crying that your baby will experience.

Colic is defined as crying for three or more hours, three or more days each week. The most obvious way, then, to know that your baby has colic is if he or she is crying that long and that frequently. Continuous crying for long durations is the defining characteristic of colic. Often, the crying that accompanies colic will be worse in the evening, although a baby with colic may experience crying at any time during the day. When your baby is crying continuously for long durations, and you have ruled out all of the other possible causes for your baby’s crying such as tiredness, pain, illness, or overstimulation, then you can know that your baby has colic.

Your health care provider can help you to know if your baby has colic. In addition, your health care provider may be able to help you identify ways that you can help your baby with colic. The good news, medically speaking, is that colic does not seem to be harmful to a baby. Also, the fact of the matter is that colic will generally pass by the time your baby is four months old or so.

The real challenge of having a baby with colic is the anxiety and the stressful atmosphere that having a constantly crying baby can cause in a home. It is important, then, that each family member have some sort of a break from time to time to help them cope with the constant crying.

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