What causes colic? It is actually not known what the cause of colic is. It is generally believed that colic is not caused by a medical problem because other than the crying bouts, the baby is otherwise healthy and and growing. With parents and professional care givers so eager please the baby to stop the crying, it is also believed that colic is not caused by the way the babies are handled. Research has explored as suggested many possibilities - these possibilities are normally around the
few areas of an immatured digestive system, the baby's temperament, wind in the intestinal system and lactose intolerance. However, there is little evidence to confirm any of the suggestions.


Immatured Digestive System

Since babies are still growing and their digestive system has not matured, it is suggested that the baby sometimes get cramps as the milk passes through their digestive system. These cramps are thought to be caused by the contractions in the digestive system that are necessary to pass the food through the system. Another possibility that is suggested is that sometimes the digestive system gets confused and backs the milk up from the stomach to the throat.


Temperament

It is also observed that babies with colic seem to demand more attention and are more sensitive to their environment. As such, the colicky baby's temperament may cause the baby to cry as a normal reaction to the lack of attention or stimulation by the environment that the baby is in. Although the crying is a normal reaction, the temperamental baby's crying does not stop because the baby's nervous system is not matured enough to regulate the crying properly.


Wind in the Intestinal System

When a baby feeds, the baby may not be efficient and may swallow tiny bubbles of air together with the milk. It has been suggested that these bubbles get introduced through badly designed baby bottles; or by the baby not latching properly on the mother's nipples. In any event, these bubbles are thought to accumulate in the baby's intestinal system and causes bloating and pain. This causes observation where the baby passes wind when the baby is going through a colic crying bout.


Lactose Intolerance

Before the age of eight to twelve weeks, a baby's digestive system may not be able to produce enough lactase to break down the lactose present in the formula milk that the baby is fed. In some cases, lactose is also found in breast milk as the lactose introduced into the milk through the mother's diet of dairy products. The undigested lactose can sometimes build up in the intestines causing discomfort to the baby.