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When babies cry for more than three hours per day, they are said to have colic. This period of excessive crying differs from baby to baby, but usually occurs when a baby is around three weeks of age and wears off when a baby is in between the age of four to six weeks. During this period of extreme disturbance, the parents usually get little or no sleep.

Most doctors believe that colic occurs to a child in order to psychologically awaken, and prepare the parents of the newborn child, for a new life. This sense of awareness created through colic, is said to make the parents understand that a new member is now in the family. It is just as though the child is announcing their presence. If not for colic, doctors say that the normal way of life will resume and the parents will need more time to adjust to their new beginning as parents.

Usually what most parents would want is for the child to meet their demands. If the parents want to go out they would expect the child to stay quiet for the sitter, when they want to sleep they would imagine that the child would also fall asleep with them. This is not the case as the colic introduces a lot of change into their current active life. This helps the parents adjust their lifestyle to accommodate the newborn child instead of the newborn complying to parents lifestyle for each other. Reason for this belief has risen due to the fact that when parents have adopted a new lifestyle accommodating the newest member of the family, the colic stops.

Also what parents should understand is that colic is not a disease or an illness of some sort. It is very normal for a child to go through this period. The crying in some children will be more than others but this soon all this will go away. It is just another sign that the child is growing physically and mentally healthy.