Colic Diagnosis

The diagnosis of colic is often confirmed after it has run its typical three to four month course. If you are concerned about your infant's crying, call your child's doctor or nurse to discuss your concerns and possible management strategies.
You can monitor your infant's crying by keeping a written record of the following information. You can share this information with your child's doctor or nurse to help determine the cause of crying as well as the best ways to manage it.

  • When does crying occur and how long does it last?
  • Does the crying begin at the same time every day?
  • Does the infant cry at other times of the day?
  • What seems to trigger an episode of crying?
  • What helps to stop crying?
  • What do you do when the baby cries?
  • What does the cry sound like?
  • Infants with colic often have a higher pitched, louder, and more intense sounding cry.
  • How and what do you feed the baby? (Overfeeding, underfeeding, and feeding inappropriate foods can cause colic)
  • Is the crying getting better, worse, or is it about the same?
  • Why do you think the baby cries?

Discuss your thoughts and concerns about your infant with your child's doctor or nurse.

The National Digestive Diseases Dictionary defines colic here on page 11. It’s a description of a behavior that is used when the doctor can’t figure out what is wrong.

A great website is: fussybabysite
A great book is: Colic Solved

Resource: Teri Lee Turner, MD, MOH, MEd & Shea Palamountian, MD. "Clinical features and etiology of colic." Up To Date. Wolters Kluwer Health. 28 March 2012. Web. 3 June 2012.


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