Pediatric
Colic & Inconsolable Crying
Hours of crying that nothing seems to fix — bouncing, swaddling, gripe water, formula changes.
If this sounds like you
You're not imagining it. You're not making too much of it.
You've tried the swing, the wrap, the bouncing on the exercise ball, the white-noise machine turned all the way up. You've changed your diet, changed the formula, cut out dairy, tried gas drops. The crying still happens, usually right around dinner, and it lasts for hours. You're not failing. Colic is real, and there is almost always an underlying piece nobody has looked at yet.
The witching hour
What colic actually looks like in your living room at 6 p.m.
- Crying for 2–3+ hours at a stretch, often in the evening
- Arching the back and pulling away mid-feed
- Pulling legs to the chest, clenched fists, red face
- Inconsolable even when fed, dry, and held
- Worse on one side or in certain positions
- Trouble settling for sleep after the episode
The part nobody says out loud
Colic is one of the loneliest experiences in early parenthood. You feel like you're doing everything wrong even though you're doing everything right. You're exhausted, your partner is exhausted, the dog is hiding under the bed. You want someone to listen to the whole story — the birth, the feeding, the timing of the crying — and offer a gentle path forward that isn't 'just wait it out.'
You're not exaggerating. You're not being dramatic.
If any of the above made you nod, exhale, or feel a little seen — that's the point. Dr. Smith's exam starts from the assumption that what you're feeling is real, measurable, and worth taking seriously.
What your family has noticed
The people who love you have been watching this longer than you realize.
You think you've been hiding it. You haven't — not really. Here's what the people closest to you have quietly noticed, even if they've never said a word:
- Everyone in the house braces for evening
- Baby calms briefly in one specific position and nowhere else
- Feeds end with arching, gas, and tears
- You've started avoiding outings during the witching hour
- Older sibling has noticed and is acting out
What waiting actually costs
Why now matters more than most people think.
Most colic resolves on its own by 3–4 months — but the family doesn't have to wait that long suffering through it. Untreated, the patterns often spill into broken sleep, feeding aversion, and a nervous-system pattern in baby that can take months to unwind.
Causes & traditional approaches
Why colic & inconsolable crying happens — and why the usual fixes fall short.
Common underlying causes
- Upper-cervical and cranial tension from birth affecting nervous-system regulation
- Digestive and reflux patterns tied to nerve and positional tension
- Latch and feeding mechanics swallowing extra air
- Sensory overload by end of day in a still-developing nervous system
What's usually offered — and where it falls short
Gripe water, gas drops, and probiotics
Limit: Help some babies, but treat the gas without addressing the tension and nervous-system regulation underneath.
Formula changes and elimination diets
Limit: Worth trying if a true intolerance is suspected, but often cycled through for weeks without addressing the mechanical piece.
'Just wait it out — it ends at three months'
Limit: True, eventually. Also three months of family exhaustion when gentle care often shortens the cycle dramatically.
How Dr. Smith treats this differently
Our Colic Relief approach for Colic & Inconsolable Crying.
Gentle pediatric chiropractic care focused on the upper-cervical and cranial tension patterns commonly associated with infant colic, reflux, and inconsolable crying.
Explore the Colic Relief ProgramCommon Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Stop living around colic & inconsolable crying.
Start with a $47 new patient evaluation and we'll tell you honestly whether we can help.