When Will My Baby Outgrow Colic?

Arguably worse than the terrible twos and the tumultuous teens, the newborn stage-- at least for some parents-- can be the hardest. Babies with colic suffer from a very common condition that isn't medically serious but can be maddening for parents. Colic causes babies to cry incessantly and inconsolably for more than three hours per day, for more than three days a week, for more than three weeks at a time-- a pattern that can be miserable for parents. Fortunately, all babies outgrow colic symptoms at some point. If you're wondering when your baby will outgrow colic, here are some points to consider.

1. It's extremely common, and you're not alone.

While it may feel like you're the only parent in the world struggling to soothe an endlessly screaming baby, the fact of the matter is that many, many parents deal with this uncomfortable bump in a baby's development. More than one in four babies experiences colic, and in every single case, the baby eventually outgrows the condition. Colic is an unfortunate complication of parenting, not a sign that your baby will forever be miserable.

2. Most babies outgrow colic by the end of the newborn stage.

Colic is characteristically common during the newborn stage, when babies are still governed largely by reflex and have immature central nervous systems that struggle to process pain and discomfort. By four months of age, when a baby's nervous system is more mature, the majority of babies will have outgrown their colic symptoms.

3. Almost all babies outgrow colic by nine months. For a parent with a wailing baby, the idea of waiting several months for colic to abate might sound agonizing. However, even parents whose babies don't outgrow colic by four months will eventually find some relief. Over 90% of babies outgrow colic by the time they reach nine months of age, with the remaining 10% outgrowing it in the three months that follow.

4. Colic is always gone by a child's first birthday.

Colic by definition affects babies under one year of age. By the time your child is one year old, he is not within the age range that is affected by toddlers. In the unlikely even that your baby is still showing symptoms similar to colic by his first birthday, those symptoms can no longer be attributed to colic and must be evaluated as a symptom of another disease, such as a neurological condition.

5. Talk to your child's health care provider. No matter the age at which your baby demonstrates colic symptoms, it's important to talk to his pediatrician about them. Colic can only be accurately diagnosed if other causes have been ruled out. By staying in close contact with your health care provider, you can not only help to ensure an accurate diagnosis, but also to find successful treatment options.