This is an English rendering of a Polish public-health reference. The care paths it names (112, night and holiday care NiŚOZ, primary care POZ) are Polish. This is not medical advice.

PL

This is not medical advice Life-threatening emergency (Poland): 112

Home › Crying and colic

What causes colic in a baby?

Applies to age: 0–4 months

In short

The exact cause of colic is not known. Colic may result from young babies finding it harder to digest food.

Sources: NHS, Portal Pacjenta, NFZ i Akademia NFZChecked: Report an error

What is normal

All claims: international norm

  • It is not known exactly what causes colic in some babies.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    It's not known exactly what causes some babies to get colic.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]

  • Colic may result from young babies finding it harder to digest food.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    But it may be because babies find it harder to digest food when they're young.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]

  • A child may cry because of problems with a food allergy, for example to cow's milk.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    Or they may be crying because they have problems with food allergies, such as a cows' milk allergy.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]

  • It is widely accepted that colic exists, but nobody knows what causes it.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    Everyone agrees that colic exists, but nobody knows what causes it.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]

  • Some doctors think that colic is a kind of stomach cramp.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    Some doctors think it's a kind of stomach cramp.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]

When to worry

All claims: international norm

  • Constant crying when the baby cannot be soothed or distracted, or crying that sounds different than usual, may be a sign of illness.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    If your baby is crying constantly and you cannot console or distract them, or the cry does not sound like their normal cry, it can be a sign they're ill.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]

ER / 112 (Poland)

Some claims: international norm

Immediate medical help needed: international norm

  • A weak or high-pitched cry in a baby needs immediate medical help.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    your baby has a weak or high-pitched cry

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]

  • A baby's cry that sounds different from their usual cry needs immediate medical help.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    your baby's cry does not sound like their normal cry

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]

  • Call an ambulance in a situation of immediate danger to life.
    Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote

    Verbatim quote from the source:

    Polish original

    bezpośredniego zagrożenia życia

    Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [2]

  • Also call an ambulance when a sick person's condition suddenly worsens in a way that may lead to harm to health.
    Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote

    Verbatim quote from the source:

    Polish original

    nagłego pogorszenia się stanu osoby chorej, który może prowadzić do uszczerbku na zdrowiu.

    Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [2]

See a doctor

  • A sick child brought to a primary care (POZ) clinic should get an appointment on the same day they come in, or, if that is not possible, at a time agreed with them.
    Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote

    Verbatim quote from the source:

    Polish original

    Jeśli przyjdziesz chory do przychodni, powinieneś uzyskać wizytę w dniu zgłoszenia.

    Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [2]

    Polish original

    Jeśli to niemożliwe - w terminie uzgodnionym z tobą.

    Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [2]

  • POZ clinics are open Monday to Friday, 8:00–18:00.
    Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote

    Verbatim quote from the source:

    Polish original

    Placówki POZ działają od poniedziałku do piątku w godzinach: 8:00–18:00.

    Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [2]

  • After clinic hours, night and holiday care (NiŚOZ) is recommended, among other cases, when symptoms get worse and you cannot wait until morning.
    Source: NFZ i Akademia NFZ – show the quote

    Verbatim quote from the source:

    Polish original

    objawy się nasilą i nie możesz czekać do rana

    NFZ i Akademia NFZ · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [3]

  • Night and holiday care (NiŚOZ) sees patients Monday to Friday from 18:00 to 08:00 the next morning.
    Source: NFZ i Akademia NFZ – show the quote

    Verbatim quote from the source:

    Polish original

    Poniedziałek – Piątek: 18:00 – 08:00 rano dnia następnego.

    NFZ i Akademia NFZ · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [3]

  • Night and holiday care (NiŚOZ) sees patients around the clock on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
    Source: NFZ i Akademia NFZ – show the quote

    Verbatim quote from the source:

    Polish original

    Soboty, Niedziele i Święta: całodobowo.

    NFZ i Akademia NFZ · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [3]

international norm “International norm” next to a section heading means its claims come from a non-Polish source, because no Polish source in our registry covers this topic. When this applies to only some of the claims, the foreign ones carry the same label next to their source.

International norm

“International norm” next to a section heading means its claims come from a non-Polish source, because no Polish source in our registry covers this topic. When this applies to only some of the claims, the foreign ones carry the same label next to their source.

Sources

  1. NHS (nhs.uk, Anglia)
    License: Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: NHS (nhs.uk, Anglia). Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The summary is ours and is not attributed to the NHS.
  2. Portal Pacjenta (pacjent.gov.pl)
    License: CC BY 3.0 PL. Source: Portal Pacjenta (pacjent.gov.pl). Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original.
  3. NFZ i Akademia NFZ
    License: Treści NFZ – wykorzystanie ze wskazaniem źródła, bez obrotu komercyjnego. Source: NFZ i Akademia NFZ. Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original.

See an error or outdated information? Report an error in this answer. Answer checked against the sources on October 13, 2026.

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