Effects of colic massage and kangaroo care on infantile colic pain, crying and sleep duration: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of colic massage and kangaroo care on infantile colic symptoms, crying, and sleep duration. Design and method: This study is a randomized controlled experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. The study was conducted with infants diagnosed with infantile colic and their mothers. The infants and mothers in the study consisted of a massage group, a kangaroo care group, and a control group. The study data were collected with the "Mother-Baby Information Form", "Crying and Sleep Recording Form", and the "Infantile Colic Scale ". Results: After the intervention, the median values of infantile colic difference score compared to pre-intervention were-14, -8, -1 in the massage, kangaroo care and control groups, respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusion and implications for practice: Infantile colic symptoms declined the most in the massage group and the least in the control group. Crying duration decreased the least in the control group and sleep duration increased the most in the massage group. It can be said that colic massage and kangaroo care for infantile colic comfort and calm the infants. However, applying colic massage reduces colic symptoms more. The study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov NCT06727760. (c) 2025 Elsevier Inc. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.