Pediatric Nutrition: William J. Klish

My little girl is 15 days old, and she is already suffering from colic. We have tried everything to console her, from car rides to rocking. How long will this last? What do you suggest?

By William Klish, M.D.

Colic is a self-limited problem that usually begins to disappear after two months of age. Occasionally, a child will continue to have symptoms until four months of age. Let's hope that your child is not one of the more prolonged cases since, as you have pointed out, it is very difficult to comfort a colicky baby.

We still know very little about the causes of colic. It probably results from immaturity of movement of the intestinal tract, resulting in gas accumulating in the small intestine, producing distention and pain. Minimizing the gas in the intestine helps. Most intestinal gas in a baby is swallowed air. Try frequent burping, slower feeding, and proper latching if breast-fed, or appropriate nipples if bottle-fed.

Repetitive motion also helps. Try sitting on the washing machine while it is running (watch to make sure your baby doesn't get rocked off), and attaching devices (several are commercially available) that reproduce these motions to the crib or infant seat. Placing a warm water bottle or warming pad on your baby's abdomen as a counter irritant sometimes works. Finally, hang in there because this too shall pass.

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