Anatom3DInfant colic
Colica infantum · Kojenecká kolika
What it is
Long bouts of inconsolable crying in a healthy, growing baby, peaking at six weeks and gone by 3–4 months; about 1 in 5 babies, cause unknown.
Symptoms & signs
- Crying over 3 hours a day, 3 days a week
- worse in the late afternoon and evening
- red face, drawn-up legs, clenched fists
- feeding and growing normally
🚩 Get help if…
- call 112 / 911 now Green vomit, blood in the stool or a swollen belly
- call 112 / 911 now Fever of 38 °C or more in a baby under 3 months
- see a doctor soon Weak or high-pitched cry, floppy, or not feeding
- see a doctor soon Crying with poor weight gain or after a fall or injury
Where it strikes
Medical treatment
- Examination to rule out illness, cow's-milk allergy, urine infection and reflux
- reassurance and support for exhausted parents — never shake a baby
- Simethicone drops — no better than placebo not confirmed in trials
- Lactase drops — weak evidence mixed evidence
- hydrolysed formula or a dairy-free diet for a breastfeeding mother only when cow's-milk allergy is suspected
Natural & lifestyle
- Holding, rocking, white noise, a walk in the pram
- put the baby down safely and step away when overwhelmed
- Lactobacillus reuteri drops — less crying in breastfed babies, not formula-fed mixed evidence
Emerging & experimental
- Gut-microbiome studies
Alternative, off-label & anecdotal
Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.
- Chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation — no convincing benefit in blinded trials; rare injuries not confirmed in trials
- Fennel and chamomile teas — small trials; displace milk, and star-anise teas have poisoned babies mixed evidence
- Gripe water — untested; older recipes contained alcohol anecdotal / traditional
ICD codes
- ICD-10 R10.4
- ICD-11 DD93.1 Infantile colic