Discuss normal crying patterns. Teach parents settling techniques - refer to maternal and child health nurse day service if needed. Advise smoking mothers to try to cut down to less than 10 a day and to smoke outside, after a feed. Advise mothers with excessive caffeine consumption to cut down to three or less cups of coffee per day. Sympathy and optimism.
Natural history is of improvement with time and the placebo effect is high.
Lust K.D., Brown J.E., Thomas W. Maternal intake of cruciferous vegetables and other food, and colic symptoms in exclusively breast-fed infants. Breath hydrogen response to milk containing lactose in colicky and non-colicky infants. Moore D.J., Dreckow D., Robb TA., Davidson G.P., Breath Hydrogen and behavioural response in breast and formula fed infants with colic to modified lactose intake. Weizman Z., Alkrinawi S., Goldfrob D.,Britan C., Efficacy of herbal tea preparation in infantile colic.