Colic is one of the most frustrating challenges for new parents. Endless crying, sleepless nights, and a worried feeling that something is wrong can make it feel overwhelming. But not everything you’ve heard about colic is true. Let’s bust the top four myths that often confuse parents—and point toward what’s really happening.

Myth 1: Colic Starts at Three Weeks
Many people believe colic begins around three weeks of age, but our research has shown that it often starts at birth. Babies don’t suddenly develop colic—they may show signs from their first days. The severity can vary, which is why some infants cry a lot while others show other less severe symptoms.

Myth 2: Colic Means Three Hours of Crying
Colic is often defined as three or more hours of crying per day. However, in over 40 years of treating Colicky babies, I have found that not every baby cries for hours. Some may show discomfort in subtle ways, like fussiness, tension, or difficulty sleeping. Crying is just one symptom, and the absence of prolonged crying doesn’t mean your baby isn’t experiencing colic. Many of the babies I’ve treated for colic don’t cry constantly, but they often show other signs of discomfort, such as:

• Pulling their legs up to their chest
  
• Sleeping only for short stretches
  
• Refusing to lie on their back
  
• Being especially uncomfortable on their back
  
• Waking from sleep screaming and hard to console
• Scratching their face or pulling their hair
• Eating only briefly at a time
• Having a red face and tightly closed eyes
• Experiencing constipation
• Having a hard, bloated belly

Myth 3: Colic Stops Automatically at Three Months
The “rule” that colic magically ends at three months is misleading. While symptoms may change over time, I have observed that the underlying cause doesn’t just disappear. Some babies continue to experience digestive discomfort well beyond the first few months, though it may present differently as they grow. I have noticed that the following symptoms are present in young children with colic:

•  Behavioral Issues
• Fussy
• Restless
• Resists Sleep
• Distended Abdomen

(Older babies and children with colic may not have a hard distended abdomen)

• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Irregularity
• Attachment Issues
• Crying
• Low Appetite, Picky Eater
• Waking Up Throughout the Night, Night Terrors 

Myth 4: Colic Is Caused by Dairy or Allergies
A common belief is that colic stems from a dairy allergy or other food sensitivities. While diet can sometimes play a role, my research and experience show that the real cause is often related to a tiny muscle in the digestive system called the ileocecal valve. When this muscle is weak, it can leak digestive material back into the small intestine, causing gas, bloating, and pain—leading to many of the symptoms parents recognize as colic.

The Real Solution
Understanding the true cause of colic changes everything. Strengthening the ileocecal valve is key to addressing the root of the problem. With the right guidance, parents can help their babies experience greater comfort and fewer symptoms.
To learn more about this approach and how you can help your baby, visit StoppingColic.com.

One Doctor’s Opinion – Colic According to D.R. Scharenberg, D.C. 

The first thing we have to address is that the medical diagnosis of colic is wrong—it has never been correct. Colic does not start at three weeks; it starts at birth. Colic is not three hours of crying—some babies hardly cry at all. It really depends on how severe their colic symptoms are. Colic does not automatically stop at three months—it can last a lifetime. It just keeps changing, but it doesn’t go away.

Medicine says that no one knows the cause, but it must be an allergic response to dairy. My experience is that this is not true. So what is it?

Redefining Colic
My research and experience show that the cause of colic is the result of leakage through the ileocecal valve. Let’s describe the anatomy and explain what is truly happening to this valve.
The muscle is a smooth muscle, not a striated muscle like an arm or leg muscle. It’s more like a heart valve. It is cone-shaped and it opens and expands to let digested fecal matter pass through the valve into the large intestine. Then this muscle contracts to shut the opening from the small intestine to the large intestine, keeping fecal chemicals and other materials from going back into the small intestine where they would likely be re-digested.
The problem is that this small cone-shaped muscle, for some reason, is not strong enough to close itself. The valve allows leakage back into the small intestine, which then tries to re-digest the material.
This action causes a large amount of intestinal gas to build back up into the small intestine, expanding it and creating a large distended bowel. This leads to severe abdominal bloating and extensive pain.

The Pain Results in a Variety of Colic Symptoms—34 in total—That I Have Identified:

1.     Grunting
2.     Fussing
3.     Crying
4.     Kicking of the legs
5.     Flaring of the arms
6.     Arching of the back
7.     Distention of the abdomen
8.     Developing umbilical hernia
9.     Continually wanting to suck
10.  Rooting and sucking
11.  Inability to stay latched on the breast or the bottle
12.  Decreased bowel motion
13.  Pain or passing flatulence and stool (liquid or formed)
14.  Scratching of the face, ears, head, and pulling their hair.
15.  Inability to lie flat on back without crying
16.  Not wanted to take a pacifier
17.Vomiting, either projectile or just spitting up usually frequently. Usually diagnosed as acid reflux or silent reflux
18.  Crying with eyes closed
19.  Not sleeping except for short periods
20.  Sleeping at odd hours, usually described as having days and nights mixed up
21.  Crying sounds mostly high pitch and variable with high and lows
22.  Always wanting to be have motion such as swings, or bouncing
23.  Always wanting to be held in an upright position
24.  When being held, always trying to crawl up over the adults shoulder
25.  Always wanting to be taken for a ride. Calming down with motion and crying when the vehicle stops
26.  Kicking the legs most frequently the left leg. This is an attempt to help move the descending colon.
27.  Always stiff and rigid body with clenched hands and contracted arms and legs.
28.  Usually diagnosed as Lactose intolerant
29.  Starts at variety of times from birth to 6 weeks
30.  Can last for months and years and after 1 year is usually diagnosed as something other than colic such as colitis, irritable bowel, indigestion, heart burn, gastritis, Chron’s, chronic constipation, chronic diarrhea.
31.  Decreased weight gain- underfed because of pain
32.  Increased weight gain- overfed because of pain
33.  Negative upper and lower GI Studies
34.  Eventually hemorrhoids or rectal fissures


So, What Is the Cause of Colic?
The answer is leakage from the ileocecal valve back into the small intestine. This leakage creates gas, distention, and pain—which can lead to the long list of symptoms often grouped under “colic.”

The big question: How do you fix this problem?
When you understand the real cause of colic, you can take steps to address it at its source. The solution is to strengthen the ileocecal valve muscle so it can function properly—and that’s exactly what my treatment method does.  Learn more about colic and how you can help your baby by visiting StoppingColic.com.