🌐 Read this article in other languages:
ગુજરાતી: શિશુમાં કોલિક (પેટનો દુખાવો): સાંજે કલાકો સુધી રડવું, કારણ, શાંત કરવાની રીતો, માતાનો આહાર અને આયુર્વેદમાં બાળ શૂલ
हिंदी: शिशु में कोलिक (पेट दर्द): शाम को घंटों रोना, कारण, शांत करने के तरीके, माँ का आहार और आयुर्वेद में बाल शूल
A first child, 4-week-old Vihaan. Calm during the day, feeding well, gaining weight. But every evening at six it started: screaming, a red face, clenched fists, legs pulled towards the tummy, the tummy feeling hard. For three hours nothing worked. The mother broke down in tears, the father was exhausted, the grandmother said “it’s the evil eye” and the neighbour said “give gripe water.” The pediatrician examined him and said, “The baby is completely healthy, this is colic, and it usually eases on its own in 3–4 months.” He also taught them: burping the right way, a correct latch while breastfeeding, fully emptying one side, a gentle clockwise tummy massage with warm hands, swaddling and rocking, and a “shhh” sound. The mother cut down on excess tea and coffee and spicy, fried food; on the vaidya’s advice, dill, ajwain and cumin were added to her meals. More than “curing” the baby, the parents learned to rest in turns. By three months the crying had clearly reduced.
Infant colic means frequent, prolonged crying that cannot be soothed in a healthy baby who is feeding and growing well, without any clear cause. The traditional definition is the “rule of 3”: more than 3 hours a day, more than 3 days a week, for more than 3 weeks. It usually starts at 2–3 weeks, peaks at 6 weeks and eases by 3–4 months. About one in every five babies has it. The exact cause is not known: an immature digestive system, gas, gut bacteria, an immature nervous system, overstimulation, many factors. Colic does no long-term harm to the baby, but it is extremely exhausting for the parents. In Ayurveda, the Kashyapa Samhita treats a newborn’s crying as an important signal, and such tummy pain is linked with bala shoola / udara shoola, mainly an aggravation of vata (especially apana vayu), an immature agni, and often the quality of stanya (mother’s milk).
Key Takeaways
- Crying for hours every day, especially in the evening, in a healthy baby; it eases in 3–4 months.
- Burping, a correct breastfeeding latch, swaddling, rocking and gentle massage are the soothing methods.
- Fever, vomiting, bloody stools or poor weight gain are not colic; see a doctor at once.
- Ayurveda: the mother’s deepana diet (dill, ajwain, cumin), stanya shodhana, infant abhyanga, a gentle warm compress on the tummy and vata shamana reduce crying quickly; no herbs directly to the baby without the vaidya’s advice.
Symptoms
- Crying at about the same time every day, often late afternoon or evening
- Intense, screaming, pain-like crying
- A red face, clenched fists, arching of the back
- Legs pulled towards the tummy, the tummy feels hard and bloated
- Passing gas (crying often makes the baby swallow air, so it is both a cause and a result)
- Not calmed even by rocking or feeding
- Between episodes the baby is normal, happy and feeds well
- Weight usually increases normally
Causes (Possible Factors)
- Immature digestive system, irregular gut movement
- Swallowing air, a wrong bottle nipple, feeding in a hurry, a wrong latch, prolonged crying
- Foremilk-hindmilk imbalance, switching sides without fully emptying one; more of the early thin, lactose-rich milk goes in
- Overfeeding, taking every cry as hunger
- Gut bacteria imbalance
- Cow’s milk protein allergy, through formula, or sometimes through the mother’s diet (in a minority of babies)
- Reflux, in some
- Immature nervous system, overstimulation through the day, “overload” in the evening
- The mother’s smoking or smoke in the home increases the risk
- Family stress, which the baby senses
Ayurvedic view
- Vata dushta stanya, the mother eats dry, cold, stale, gas-forming food (excess legumes, potatoes), late nights, worry
- Pitta dushta stanya, excess spicy and sour food, tea and coffee
- Kapha dushta stanya, heavy food, excess sweets, daytime sleep
- The baby’s immature agni, overfeeding
- Cold, cold wind
Ayurvedic Understanding
The Kashyapa Samhita, the main classical text of pediatrics, gives special importance to understanding a newborn’s crying: the baby cannot speak, so where the pain is must be understood from the way it cries, its body posture and where it takes its hands. In tummy pain the baby presses the tummy, bends the legs and arches the back; this description matches modern colic.
The classics describe stanya dosha, the faults of mother’s milk, in detail: the qualities of milk change according to vata, pitta and kapha, and vitiated stanya causes disease in the baby. That is why in Ayurveda, for many problems of a breastfed baby, the principle is treatment through the mother: her diet, daily routine and mind. Modern science also accepts that some components of the mother’s diet (cow’s milk protein, caffeine) can pass into the milk.
Babies are naturally in the kapha-predominant stage of life, but in the gas and movement of the tummy, a disturbance of apana vayu (vata not moving downward, no vatanulomana) is the main factor. Treatment: warmth, sneha (oil massage), anulomana.
Samprapti: immature agni + stanya dosha / excess air / overfeeding → accumulation of ama and vayu → apana vayu moving upward → udara shoola, adhmana (bloating) → crying.
Samprapti vighatana: stanya shodhana (the mother’s diet and routine) → correct breastfeeding method → warmth and abhyanga → vatanulomana → maturing of agni (with time).
Classical References
- Kashyapa Samhita, pediatrics, Vedana Adhyaya (recognising the baby’s pain).
- Charaka Samhita, Sharira Sthana, Chapter 8, Jatisutriya: stanya, stanya dosha and infant care.
- Sushruta Samhita, Sharira Sthana, Chapter 10, Garbhini Vyakarana: newborn care, stanya.
- Ashtanga Hridaya, Uttara Tantra, Chapters 1–2, Bala Upacharaniya, Bala Amaya Pratishedha.
Safe Soothing Methods
- First check the basics: hungry? wet nappy? too hot or cold? tight clothes? a hair wrapped around a finger? sleepy?
- Swaddling, gently in a thin cloth, a womb-like security; loose enough for the hips and legs to bend freely; always on the back for sleep, stop when the baby starts to roll over.
- “Shhh” sound / white noise, a fan, a soft sound, reminding the baby of the sounds of the womb.
- Rocking, gentle and rhythmic; walking with the baby in your arms, a sling (head and neck secure).
- “Football hold”, the baby tummy-down along your arm, gently patting the back.
- Skin-to-skin contact, on the parent’s chest.
- Sucking, breastfeeding (for comfort even when not hungry).
- A warm bath.
- A calm, dim environment, fewer guests, less TV and noise in the evening.
- A walk outdoors in the open air or a car ride (many babies calm down).
No single method works every time, so keep changing, but changing too quickly increases overstimulation.
Burping and Breastfeeding Technique
- Correct latch, the baby’s mouth wide open, most of the dark area around the nipple in the mouth, lips turned outward, so less air goes in. If there is difficulty, a lactation consultant or nurse.
- Empty one side fully before the other, so the baby gets the hindmilk (fatty, filling).
- Burping, during and after feeds; on the shoulder, sitting in the lap, or lying on the tummy while patting the back.
- Keep the baby upright for 20–30 minutes after a feed.
- If using a bottle, an anti-colic bottle, the right nipple hole, the bottle tilted so the nipple stays full of milk.
- Not every cry is hunger; do not overfeed.
Gentle Tummy Massage (Abhyanga)
In Ayurveda, infant abhyanga is part of daily care and calms vata. In colic:
- Warm hands, a little lukewarm sesame oil or coconut oil (first a skin test on a small area)
- Circles around the navel in a clockwise direction, the direction of the intestines
- “I-L-U” strokes, gently on the tummy
- Cycling, gently bending the legs towards the tummy and moving them like pedalling a bicycle
- Gently pressing the knees onto the tummy for a few seconds
- Not right after a feed, at least 30–45 minutes later
- Stop if the baby cries more or resists
- In many homes a paste of hing (asafoetida) is applied around the navel: very little, dissolved in water, only externally around the navel; stop if the skin turns red; nothing on a newborn’s umbilical cord that has not yet dried.
Mother’s Diet (Breastfeeding Mother)
Helpful (Ayurvedic tradition): warm, fresh, easily digestible food; dill (shatapushpa), ajwain, cumin, fennel, fenugreek (in moderation), which are deepana and vatanulomana; ghee in moderation; moong, rice, green vegetables; enough lukewarm water.
Reduce / take care: excess tea, coffee and cola (caffeine passes into milk), very spicy and fried food, stale and cold food, packaged food, alcohol and smoking (stop completely).
Cow’s milk and dairy: in some babies cow’s milk protein allergy causes colic-like symptoms, often along with eczema, blood or mucus in stools, vomiting and poor weight gain. On the doctor’s advice, dairy may be removed from the mother’s diet for 2–4 weeks as a trial, taking care of the mother’s calcium. Do not cut out many foods on your own and leave the mother undernourished; the mother’s nutrition is as important as the baby’s.
Note: “Legumes, cabbage and onion give the baby gas”: scientific evidence is limited; reduce a food only if a problem is consistently seen after it.
Useful Ayurvedic Support
The right medicine, dose, anupana and timing are decided by the vaidya according to the person’s prakriti, age, other illnesses and current medicines.
For the mother (on the vaidya’s advice):
- Shatapushpa (dill), stanya shodhana, vatanulomana; in food or as an arka (distillate).
- Ajwain, cumin and fennel, after meals, in moderation.
- Hingvashtaka churna, for the mother’s agni and gas.
- Dashamoola-based formulations, traditional for calming the mother’s vata after delivery.
For the baby:
- External measures, lukewarm oil abhyanga, a gentle warm compress near the navel (by warming the hands; never a hot water bottle or a hot object directly, risk of burns).
Extremely important: nothing other than breast milk for a baby under 6 months, no water, ghutti, gripe water, honey, churna or decoction, without the clear advice of a doctor or vaidya. Never honey under 1 year (botulism). Some old “bal ghutti” products may contain opium-like substances or alcohol, which is dangerous. No bhasma or rasa medicines in infants (except on the clear instruction of an experienced pediatric vaidya).
Gradual Ayurvedic approach: If the doctor has given gas drops or another medicine, Ayurvedic measures start alongside, without stopping anything. In Ayurveda the root of colic is considered the baby’s immature agni, vata and the quality of the mother’s stanya, so treatment addresses both: for the mother, a deepana-pachana diet, dill, ajwain and cumin, formulations like hingvashtaka (on the vaidya’s advice), and less spicy, cold and heavy food; for the baby, abhyanga with lukewarm oil, a clockwise tummy massage and a gentle warm compress. When gas and crying reduce in a few days, the doctor stops the drops, and by continuing Ayurvedic sutika paricharya and infant abhyanga, colic does not keep coming back.
About Modern Options
- Gas-reducing drops (anti-flatulent), safe, but evidence of benefit is limited
- Probiotics (specific strains), may reduce crying in some breastfed babies; on the doctor’s advice
- Hydrolysed formula, when cow’s milk allergy is suspected, only on the doctor’s advice
- Gripe water, no evidence; some contain sugar or alcohol
- Avoid frequently changing formula
Caring for the Parents, the Most Important Part
Colic is short-lived for the baby but exhausting for the parents. Hearing screams for hours brings helplessness, anger and guilt. This is natural, and you are not bad parents.
- Take turns, one cares for the baby while the other rests; take help from grandparents and family
- If anger or frustration rises, put the baby on the back in a safe cot and go to another room for 5–10 minutes, breathe deeply
- Never shake the baby, “shaken baby syndrome” causes serious, permanent brain damage or death; it mostly happens in such tired, frustrated moments
- The mother’s sleep, nutrition and mental health: postpartum depression is more common with colic; sadness for more than two weeks, no interest, not feeling bonded to the baby, bad thoughts, tell the doctor
- In Ayurveda, sutika paricharya: warmth for the mother, abhyanga, nourishing food, rest; a calm mind in the mother means calm stanya
- Remember, this phase will pass
By Season and Prakriti
Winter and cold wind, vata increases; keep the baby warm, the tummy covered, regular abhyanga. Summer, too much heat and clothing also cause restlessness; light cotton clothes, an airy room. Monsoon, the mother’s agni is weak; light, warm food, dill and ajwain. Mother’s vata prakriti (late nights, worry, dry diet), the stanya also carries vata; ghee, warmth, rest; pitta, less spicy food and tea; kapha, less heavy and sweet food.
Common Myths
- “Colic means the mother’s milk is bad”, false; continue breastfeeding.
- “Let the baby cry, otherwise it will form a habit”, holding a young baby does not form a habit.
- “Gripe water or ghutti is necessary”, no evidence, some are dangerous.
- “It’s the evil eye”, medical examination first.
- “Change the formula”, not without the doctor’s advice.
Precautions
- Never shake the baby.
- Before giving anything other than breast milk before 6 months, a doctor.
- No hot object directly near the navel.
- If the pattern of crying suddenly changes, or there is fever or vomiting, do not assume colic.
Do’s and Don’ts
Do: a doctor’s examination, a correct latch, burping, emptying one side fully, swaddling, rocking, white noise, gentle massage, a light diet for the mother, resting in turns, a smoke-free home.
Don’t: shake the baby, give ghutti, honey or gripe water, change formula frequently, overfeed, cut the mother’s diet randomly, suffer alone.
Case Studies
Case 1: The evening storm
4 weeks; 3 hours of crying every evening, a bloated tummy, otherwise healthy. The doctor diagnosed colic and gave gas drops, but there was little difference. From the Ayurvedic view the vaidya considered it a vata-predominant udara shoola with vata-kapha vitiation of the mother’s stanya: the mother stopped tea, spicy, cold food and curd, dill, ajwain and cumin were added to her meals, and hingvashtaka churna on the vaidya’s advice; the baby had abhyanga with lukewarm sesame oil, a clockwise tummy massage, a gentle warm compress around the navel, and a correct latch and burping. In one week the evening crying halved, in two weeks the drops were stopped, and by six weeks of age the evenings were calm. (Results may vary from person to person.)
Case 2: Not colic, but allergy
6 weeks, on formula; hours of crying along with eczema on the cheeks, streaks of blood in the stools, frequent vomiting, poor weight gain. The pediatrician found cow’s milk protein allergy; a special formula. Alongside, to increase breastfeeding again, the mother took shatavari and a deepana diet on the vaidya’s advice, and the baby had gentle abhyanga. Clear improvement in two weeks; by three months mainly breastfed, the eczema calm. This case shows that examination is needed before the “colic” label. (Results may vary from person to person.)
Case 3: An exhausted mother, a calm baby
7 weeks; colic; the mother without sleep, crying, not feeling bonded to the baby. The doctor recognised postpartum depression and started counselling and treatment. Alongside, the vaidya gave sutika paricharya: daily abhyanga for the mother, a dashamoola-based formulation, shatavari, nourishing food with ghee and dry ginger, shiro-abhyanga, brahmi; the family took turns with night care. The baby’s crying reduced with the mother’s diet containing dill and ajwain and with infant abhyanga; the mother’s sleep and mood improved, and at three months the doctor gradually reduced her medicine while the Ayurvedic routine continued. (Results may vary from person to person.)
When to See a Doctor at Once (Red Flags)
- Fever (100.4°F/38°C or more in a baby under 3 months, at once)
- Forceful, green or bloody vomiting
- Bloody or jelly-like stools, diarrhea
- A bloated, hard tummy, crying more when touched
- Not gaining weight, feeding less
- Lethargy, a weak cry, pale or bluish skin
- Continuing even after 4 months, or the pattern of crying suddenly changes
- Crying after a fall or injury
- If the parents feel they might harm the baby, get help at once
About Dr. Nikul Patel
Dr. Nikul Patel (BAMS) is an Ayurvedic physician at Lifecare Ayurveda and has been practising since 1999, that is, for 27 years. In infant colic he gives priority to the pediatrician’s examination and offers honest guidance on the mother’s diet for stanya shodhana, sutika paricharya, infant abhyanga and safe, gentle Ayurvedic care.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is infant colic?
Frequent crying for hours that cannot be soothed in a healthy baby, often in the evening.
When does colic go away?
It usually eases in 3–4 months.
How to calm a baby with colic?
Swaddling, rocking, a “shhh” sound, burping, a gentle tummy massage, skin contact.
Should gripe water be given?
There is no evidence; nothing before 6 months without the doctor’s advice.
What does Ayurveda offer for colic?
The mother’s diet (dill, ajwain, cumin), infant abhyanga, warmth, on the vaidya’s advice.
People Also Ask
Can the mother’s food give the baby gas?
In some, dairy or caffeine has an effect; do not stop foods randomly.
Can hing be applied on the navel?
Very little, dissolved, externally; stop if the skin turns red.
What is shaken baby syndrome?
Serious brain damage from shaking a baby; never shake a baby.
Does colic cause long-term harm to the baby?
Usually not.
Does changing formula help?
Only on the doctor’s advice, when allergy is suspected.
Conclusion
Infant colic is exhausting, but short-lived and usually harmless. First, other causes are ruled out by the doctor’s examination; then the Ayurvedic approach can give the main relief: the mother’s deepana diet with dill, ajwain and cumin, stanya shodhana, infant abhyanga, a gentle warm compress on the tummy, the correct breastfeeding method, burping and rocking. These measures calm vata and reduce crying quickly, lessen the need for medicine and bring peace to both mother and baby. And most importantly, exhausted parents also deserve care. Every baby’s results may differ.
Dr. Nikul Patel (B.A.M.S.)
307, 3rd Floor, Shalin Complex, Above Farki Lassi, Krishnabaug Char Rasta, Maninagar, Ahmedabad – 380008
Timings: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM to 6:30 PM | Saturday–Sunday: Closed
📍 Clinic Location — Google Maps