Colic in Babies: Causes, Calming & Coping

Dealing with a baby’s colic can be really tough for new moms. It means your baby cries a lot for no clear reason. Our expert, Dr. Darren Saks, a pediatrician with Tenafly Pediatrics in Northern New Jersey, gives us tips on how to make things better. He’s explains what colic is and how to calm down your baby. With the right approach, you can help your baby feel better and get through this challenging time more easily.

What is Colic?

Colic is less of a diagnosis and more of a term used to describe babies who cry a lot more than others. It’s basically when your baby cries for more than three hours a day, for more than three weeks in a year. But it’s important to know that experiencing colic is quite common, and it doesn’t last forever. It usually starts around two weeks of age and gradually gets better after about two months.

Colic, Dr. Saks explains, is more of a term than a definitive diagnosis. It emerged from the realization that some babies cry significantly more than others. Colic is identified when a baby cries for over three hours a day for more than three weeks in a year. This phenomenon tends to be more prevalent in first-time parents who may struggle to interpret their baby’s cries accurately.

Recognizing the Signs

Every baby goes through a pattern of crying that peaks around two weeks old, often crying at night for no apparent reason. This isn’t just limited to colicky babies; it’s something all babies experience. The crying can increase to several nights a week, becoming a regular part of your evening, known as the “witching hour.”

How to Soothe Your Baby

Thankfully, there are strategies to help soothe your baby during these intense episodes. Pediatricians recommend the “four S’s”, coined by Dr. Harvey Karp : swaddling, creating white noise or “shushing,” swinging, and sucking. These methods tap into universal calming reflexes that can help ease your baby’s distress.

Coping with the Stress

It’s a normal part of parenting to feel stressed and overwhelmed during these crying spells.  This phase is temporary, and with patience and the right techniques, you and your baby will get through it together.

As you’re working through this, here’s one of the most important pieces of advice from Dr. Saks, shared by his mentor: “It’s really stressful, and I know that we love our babies from the moment that we set eyes on them. But as you’re going through these intense crying spells, it’s okay not to like them. And that’s really something that can really help you through the stress of being a parent. Love is forever, but we don’t always like our kids. I hope that helps.”

About Our Expert: Dr. Darren Saks, MD is a pediatrics specialist at Tenafly Pediatrics with over 26 years of experience in the medical field. He served as Attending Physician at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in the Emergency Department, and is currently an Attending Physician at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, Hackensack University Medical Center and The Valley Hospital. Dr. Saks enjoys spending time with his wife, a Special Education Teacher, and three children –  boy and girl twins, and a younger daughter. He has a special interest in helping families and communities understand the effects that media has on our children and society. Visit: tenaflypediatrics.com