Baby Colic

What is it about these colics?!

Let's first clarify the terminology. The term colic comes from the Greek "kolos" and means: to suffer from the intestines.

Only very few babies have "real colic", i.e. intestinal disorders. Often, it is not "colic" that is responsible for the baby's increased crying.  They are rather symptoms of colic and these can be the result of crying and not its cause: A lot of air is swallowed by the crying. This air then finds its way into the gastrointestinal tract and has to leave the little body again as a fart.

Why does my baby cry?

• Crying can be a request or a plea for help. Perhaps the baby has fears or important needs that it wants to have satisfied. But if this crying is not responded to immediately, the vicious circle begins. The baby cries more and more and when trying to calm it down with different methods, the stress level increases for parents and baby and you usually have the opposite effect. The baby is usually already so overstimulated that it goes further down the crying spiral and finds it hard to get out.... Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

• Another factor for increased crying are the pre-, para- and postpartum influences. Influencing factors can be found in pregnancy, during birth as well as in the time afterwards, which can lead to an inner-organic relaxation problem in the infant. In a state of permanent tension, they are unable to calm down.

• Babies also cry because they are dealing with their day, and on days when babies have been exposed to a particularly large number of new impressions, the crying session in the evening is correspondingly longer or more intense.

The fact that the increased crying usually disappears on its own after three to four months is attributed to the increasing maturity in behaviour regulation. 

During this difficult time, calm, pleasant rituals help the baby. Many babies find it helpful that the daily routine is structured and not too busy. Physical restraint such as swaddling and carrying can help so that they don't feel as if they are weightless in a room that is far too big.

And most importantly, it's not your fault that the baby cries so much! The baby has difficulty regulating itself and calming down and needs your support!

If you feel you need help, or if the crying goes far beyond a tolerable level and goes on for many hours throughout the day and is not just limited to the evening, don't be afraid to seek help from a crying baby outpatient clinic!