The effect of infantile colic training given to parents on the neonatal infantile colic level and crying duration

TL;DR

This study examines how training parents affects the severity of infantile colic and crying duration in newborns.

Contribution

The study demonstrates that infantile colic training for parents can effectively reduce crying duration and colic severity in newborns.

Findings

Infantile colic training led to a significant decrease in the duration of newborn crying.

The severity of neonatal infantile colic decreased after the training was provided to parents.

The training showed a high effect size in reducing crying times among newborns.

Abstract

Infantile colic is an important problem encountered during the first months of life. This study investigated the effect of infantile colic training provided to parents on the severity of neonatal infantile colic and the duration of crying. The research used a one-group pretest–posttest design. The study was conducted among the mothers and fathers of newborns who attended a Family Health Center between May and October 2024 and were diagnosed with infantile colic. A power analysis was conducted, and the sample consisted of 60 parents. Parents received infantile colic training in a single session, and its effectiveness was evaluated at two different times. Data were obtained via a questionnaire that included a sociodemographic form and the Infantile Colic Scale. The crying times of the newborns were recorded based on the information provided by the parents. Statistically significant differences in the Infantile Colic Scale scores were not found in mothers after the training; however, significant differences were observed in the first post-education assessment of fathers and between the parents’ first and second assessments. The mean duration of infant crying after the training was found to have a high effect size. After the training, it was found that the severity of newborn infantile colic and the duration of crying decreased. This training is an effective intervention for neonatal infantile colic.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-34344-1.

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