Are There Different Types of Colic?

Many parents notice that their baby appears colicky, but that the colic seems different than a friend’s colicky baby or even their own colicky children that preceded the current one. This leads them to ask whether there are different types of colic. The short answer is no. Colic is simply persistent crying for more than three hours at a time, three or more days a week, for three or more weeks in a row. Because so little is known about the cause of colic, it is impossible to say for sure that there are different types of colic.

That said, there are a number of different theories about what causes colic, and it could very well be that all the theories are correct sometimes. Likewise, there are a number of different colic remedies that correspond to the different theories about what causes colic. If your baby is colicky, it would be helpful to know the different theories and try to determine what seems to be causing it in your baby. This will help you determine how to treat the colic, or at least how to relieve the symptoms.

One very common theory about the cause of colic is that it is related to an undeveloped digestive system that has difficulty handling all the new foods that it is required to process. If you are breastfeeding, this means that you might need to use trial and error to determine which food or foods your baby has difficulty with. Common culprits are dairy products, spicy foods, and cruciferous vegetables. Because it can take more than a week to fully eliminate some of these foods from your system, it is best to stick with very basic foods as soon as you find that your baby might be colicky.

Another theory is that colic is caused by over stimulation. Basically, the baby is overwhelmed by all the new things it is seeing and learning and this results in long, persistent fits of crying. It might be best to remove all unnecessary distractions from you baby’s surroundings if you think this could be the case. Don’t worry, this won’t inhibit your baby’s development. There is no way you can remove so many stimulants in the baby’s first few months of life that it will become bored.

There are also differing levels of severity of colic. Your baby might suffer from it more or less than another baby. Don’t let this concern you. As long as you have eliminated all the possible medical explanations for the crying, the colic will go away eventually, even if it might take longer to subside. It is important not to spend time and energy worrying about why your baby is different or strange; it’s not. Just worry about how to make your baby as comfortable as possible as it grows out of its colic stage.