Nursery World - A Unique Child: Health

Parents may become as distressed as their baby who cries without apparent reason. Annette Rawstrone offers advice to share with them.

What is colic?

Colic is repeated, uncontrollable crying in an otherwise healthy, normally developing baby. The crying seems unrelated to hunger and tends to start during a child's first month and continue until they are around three or four months old.

Colic is very common in newborn babies, with about 20 per cent affected. In China it is known as 'the hundred days crying'.

What are the symptoms?

These include:

- Baby is unable to be comforted

- High-pitched intense screaming

- Baby sucks a lot but does not want to feed

- Crying is usually worse in the evening after feeding

- Baby may clench their fists, arch their back or draw up their knees as if in pain, and pass wind

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