Colic & the Crying Baby — Medicaid (QUEST) Accepted

A baby who cries for hours, seemingly for no reason, can push new parents to the edge of exhaustion and worry. If that’s your evenings right now, take heart: colic is common, it does not mean anything is wrong with your baby or your parenting, and it passes.

What colic is

Colic is frequent, intense crying in an otherwise healthy, well-fed baby. Clinicians often describe it by the “rule of three”: crying more than three hours a day, more than three days a week, for more than three weeks. It usually starts around two weeks of age and eases by three to four months.

Normal crying has a name: the Period of PURPLE Crying

Researchers renamed this stretch the Period of PURPLE Crying to reassure parents it is normal — the letters stand for Peak of crying, Unexpected, Resists soothing, Pain-like face, Long-lasting, and Evening. Knowing it is expected, and that it ends, is part of getting through it.

Soothing — and protecting yourself

Things that can help: responding early, gentle rhythmic motion, swaddling, a pacifier, carrying your baby, reducing over-stimulation, and keeping a day-night rhythm. Nothing works every time, and that is not your failure. The most important safety point: never shake a baby. If crying has you at your breaking point, it is safe to lay your baby down on their back in a safe crib and step away for a few minutes to breathe — a calm parent is part of the care.

How we approach it at Ohana Care Clinic

We help rule out the less common medical causes of excessive crying, and we support the whole ʻohana — including checking in on parents, because colic is hard on caregivers and can feed exhaustion and low mood. We hold this with aloha: you are doing better than you think, and this season ends.

Getting care by telehealth

Most of our care at Ohana Care Clinic happens by secure video across Hawaiʻi. A new pediatric patient is seen in person for the first visit at our Hilo clinic; after that, many follow-ups, feeding and sleep questions, and behavior check-ins work well by video — which makes it easy to loop us in without packing up the whole ʻohana.

When to get help now

Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room for a baby who is limp, unresponsive, has trouble breathing, or a child with severe or one-sided pain, swelling, fever, or a limp that keeps them from walking. When in doubt, call us at (808) 867-8002 or use our symptom checker for after-hours guidance.

Medically reviewed by Donna Leonard, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, pediatric nurse practitioner, and George Mackel, MSN, APRN, NP-C, PMHNP-BC, CARN-AP, President & Owner of Ohana Care Clinic.
Date published: July 2, 2026 · Last reviewed: July 2026 · Citations verified: July 2026

This article is general health education from Ohana Care Clinic, reviewed by Donna Leonard, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, and George Mackel, MSN, APRN, NP-C, PMHNP-BC, CARN-AP. It is not a substitute for a personal evaluation by a qualified clinician who knows your child’s situation, and reading it does not create a provider–patient relationship. If you think your child may have a medical condition, reach out to us or another licensed provider. In an emergency, call 911.

References

Roberts, D. M., Ostapchuk, M., & O’Brien, J. G. (2004). Infantile colic. American Family Physician, 70(4), 735–740. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2004/0815/p735.html