What is Colic?

Colic is commonly defined by the “rule of three”: crying for more than three hours a day, at least three days a week, for more than three weeks. It’s often blamed on an immature digestive system, gas, or an “unsettled temperament.”

But here’s the reality—babies don’t cry excessively without reason. Crying is their way of communicating discomfort. Labeling prolonged crying as "colic" without searching for the cause dismisses an opportunity to help your baby feel better.

Colic is a Symptom, Not a Diagnosis

Think about it this way: If you accidentally poured boiling water over your hand, causing intense pain, what would you do?

Would you ignore the pain and continue pouring, hoping it would go away? Or would you immediately stop, remove the source of the burn, and run cool water over your hand to ease the pain?

Of course, you wouldn’t just mix cold water with the boiling water and pour them both over your hand, expecting that to fix the problem.

Yet, when it comes to colic, many approaches focus on temporary relief rather than addressing the root cause.

Common Causes of Colic Symptoms

Understanding why your baby is experiencing colic-like symptoms is the key to resolution. Some of the most common underlying causes include:

1. Digestive Discomfort

An "immature digestive system" is often blamed, but the real issue lies in how digestion is functioning. Babies experiencing digestive distress may be struggling with:

• Incomplete digestion: Some foods ferment in the gut instead of digesting properly, leading to gas and discomfort.
• Gut microbiome imbalances: If a baby’s gut bacteria isn’t supporting digestion effectively, trapped wind and discomfort can follow.

2. Aerophagia (Swallowing Excess Air)

Babies who swallow too much air during feeding—due to a poor latch, tongue tie, or feeding position—often experience trapped gas and bloating. Once swallowed air passes into the intestines, it has to work its way out, causing prolonged discomfort.

3. Nervous System Imbalance

Newborns process an overwhelming amount of sensory information daily. If their nervous system struggles to regulate, excessive crying may result. Crying itself can also lead to aerophagia, as babies inhale sharply and take in more air.

4. Structural Misalignment

The birth process can create tension in a baby’s body, leading to discomfort, difficulty latching, and excessive crying. If a baby seems uncomfortable in certain positions or struggles to settle, this could be a factor.

5. Overtiredness

Some babies struggle to transition between sleep cycles, leading to overtiredness—a key trigger for excessive crying. Sleep disruptions can easily be mistaken for colic when they’re actually a symptom of underlying exhaustion.

Why “Colic Will Pass” Isn’t a Helpful Response

Parents are often told that colic is something their baby will "grow out of." But waiting it out doesn’t address the underlying discomfort, and it certainly doesn’t provide relief for your baby in the moment.

Instead of waiting for time to pass, the best thing you can do is work to uncover what’s actually causing the crying and discomfort.

Steps to Identifying the Root Cause of Colic

If your baby’s crying feels endless, start here:

• Observe patterns—does the crying follow feeds, specific times of day, or particular activities?
• Look for digestive symptoms like bloating, gas, reflux, or changes in stool.
• Assess feeding—does your baby seem uncomfortable while feeding? Are they gulping, spilling milk, or struggling with latching?
• Evaluate sleep—are they overtired? Do they struggle to settle?

To help you track these signs, download our free Symptoms Tracker. Even though it's called a Reflux Symptoms Tracker, we use the exact same approach to understand and resolve colic. [Download Here]

The Reflux-Free Framework: A New Approach to Colic

Instead of treating colic as an unexplained phase, we need to see it for what it really is—a symptom of an underlying issue.

Through the Reflux-Free Framework, we systematically assess your baby’s symptoms, feeding, digestion, and behavior to pinpoint the real cause of their discomfort. With this approach, we move beyond outdated labels and toward meaningful relief.

What’s Next?

Check out more posts in the series:

• A is for Aerophagia: The Hidden Cause of Reflux Pain
• B is for Burping: The Myths and Truths About Relieving Baby’s Discomfort
• D is for Digestive Enzymes: Supporting Baby’s Gut Health {coming soon}