You’ve been up all night, and your baby can’t stop crying. He’s miserable and holding his tummy. His little legs are pulled up tight against his belly, and his fists are clenched. You try to soothe him, but it offers little comfort. Your baby has colic. But there really is help.
Babies with colic suffer severe pain in their abdomen. It is most common in infants up to 5 months of age and affects around 20% of all infants.
Babies with colic have been found to have lower levels of good intestinal microbiota and higher levels of bad ones. And there is very strong evidence that probiotics are the most effective treatment for colic.
Tons of studies have shown that giving colicky infants probiotics dramatically reduces crying time and fussing time (JAMA Pediatr 2014;168:228-33; J Pediatr 2015;166:74-8; J Paediatr Child Health 2014;50:801-5).
Studies have also shown that probiotics may be better than drugs. When babies were given either probiotics or the drug simethicone, the babies on the drug cried for 145 minutes a day; the babies on probiotics cried for only 51 minutes a day. 95% of babies responded to probiotics versus only 7% for simethicone (Pediatrics 2007;119(1):e124-30).
One of the best probiotics for colic is Lactobacillus reuteri. One study found that L. reuteri can remarkably reduce crying time from 248.2 minutes a day to 45.6 (Clin Pract. 2022 Feb; 12(1): 37–45).
A just published study suggests that a probiotic combination of Bifidobacterium longum and Pediococcus pentosaceus may work even better.
When colicky babies were given the probiotic combination, 61.1% reduced their crying and fussing time by more than 50% after one week. At two weeks, the number had grown to 84.6% and by three weeks it was 92.2%.
After one week, crying time was reduced from 270 minutes a day to 120 with the probiotics.
This study adds to the already solid evidence that probiotics are the most effective treatment for colic.
European Journal of Pediatrics. Oct 2024;183:5371-81.