Colic
In the first few weeks and months of an infant’s life, mild digestive disorders like colic, are common and can be distressing for parent and baby.1 During this period, approximately 20% of infants experience colic1. A newborn may commonly have multiple gastrointestinal symptoms,2 and research shows that these may have an impact on future health outcomes.1
1 in 6 families seek help and advice about managing colic in babies3 and these mild digestive disorders are a frequent contributor to the need for healthcare professional consultations.
Infantile colic is categorised as a paediatric Disorder of Gut-Brain Interaction (DGBI). This behavioural condition is characterised by recurrent or prolonged periods of crying, fussing, irritability and difficulty in soothing the infant. These behaviours tend to occur in the afternoon or evening.4
For clinical purposes, the following diagnostic criteria must be met:
Rome IV Diagnostic criteria for infantile Colic:5
- An infant aged <5 months when the symptoms start and stop
- Recurrent and prolonged periods of crying, fussing or irritability reported by parents (caregivers) that occur without obvious cause and cannot be prevented or resolved by parents or caregivers
- No evidence of infant faltering growth, fever or illness
In more than 90% of cases, treatment for colic consists of helping the parent/caregiver get through this challenging period in the baby's development.5
Advice focuses on reassuring parents and recommending techniques that may help soothe the crying infant.4 In formula-fed infants, if these interventions have not helped and parents are still struggling to cope then a Comfort formula could be a useful option to consider.6
- Vandenplas Y et al. Prevalence and Health Outcomes of Functional Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Infants from birth to 12 months of age. JPGN 2015 (61); 5: 531–537.
- Bellaiche M, et al. Multiple functional gastrointestinal disorders are frequent in formula-fed infants and decrease their quality of life. Acta Paediatr. 2018;107(7):1276-1282.
- Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin. Management of Infantile Colic [Online]. 2013. Available At: http://dtb.bmj.com/content/51/1/6.full.pdf+html (Accessed July 2025).
- ROME foundation. Disorders of Gut Brain Interaction-Definitions. Available at https://theromefoundation.org/disorders-of-gut-brain-interaction-definitions/ (Accessed July 2025).
- Benninga M et al. Childhood Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders: Neonate/Toddler. Gastroenterology 2016;150: 1443–1455.
- Vandenplas Y. and Alarcon P. Updated algorithms for managing frequent gastro-intestinal symptoms in infants. Beneficial Microbes 2015; 6(2): 199-208.