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 is infant colic?

Applies to age: 0–4 months

In short

Colic is when a baby cries a lot for no obvious reason; it should get better by around 3–4 months of age. A weak or high-pitched cry needs immediate medical help.

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

What is normal

All claims: international norm

  • Colic is when a baby cries a lot and there is no obvious cause.
    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:

    Colic is when a baby cries a lot but there's no obvious cause.

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

  • Colic is a common problem and should get better by around 3–4 months of age.
    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 a common problem that should get better by around 3 or 4 months of age.

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

  • Colic may be suspected when a baby who is otherwise healthy cries more than 3 hours a day, on 3 days a week, for at least a week.
    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:

    All babies cry, but your baby may have colic if they cry more than 3 hours a day, 3 days a week for at least 1 week but are otherwise healthy.

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

  • Colic may start when a baby is a few weeks old.
    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 can start when a baby is a few weeks old.

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

  • Excessive crying may be a sign of colic.
    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:

    Excessive crying could be a sign that your baby has colic.

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

  • Everyone agrees that colic exists, but it is not known 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 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]

  • A baby with colic usually does not need to see a doctor.
    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 does not usually need to see a doctor if they have colic.

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

When to worry

All claims: international norm

  • Constant crying that you cannot soothe or distract the baby from, or a cry 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]

Worth discussing with a doctor:

  • If colic symptoms last after the baby turns 4 months old, it is worth seeing a doctor.
    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 still has symptoms of colic after 4 months of age

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

  • If a parent is worried about the baby's crying, it is worth seeing a doctor.
    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:

    you're worried about your baby's crying

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

ER / 112 (Poland)

Some claims: international norm

Immediate medical help needed: international norm

  • A baby's weak or high-pitched 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 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: 2026-10-09 · license [2]

  • Call an ambulance also 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: 2026-10-09 · license [2]

See a doctor

  • A sick child reported to a primary care (POZ) clinic should get an appointment on the day of reporting, and 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: 2026-10-09 · 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 operate from Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 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: 2026-10-09 · license [2]

  • After the clinic's working hours, night and holiday care (NiŚOZ) is advised among other things when symptoms get worse and one 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: 2026-10-09 · license [3]

  • NiŚOZ sees patients from Monday to Friday from 18:00 to 08:00 in the morning of the next day.
    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: 2026-10-09 · license [3]

  • 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: 2026-10-09 · 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.

Set your child's age