Excessive crying and fussing in young infants, often called "infantile colic", is a common and often serious problem for parents. It is also associated with infant sleep disturbance and possible disruptions in family life. As such, parents may undertake a variety of actions to stop excessive infant crying, some of which may be detrimental to infant health (e.g., physical shaking). Despite its potentially substantial negative health consequences, there remains no consensus regarding a definitive definition of excessive crying. Available definitions mostly focus on infant crying duration and its effect on parents. A number of different definitions, measurements, causes of crying, and settling management are presented in this article to help foster an understanding of this issue among nurses and to assist parents to cope effectively.