Red flags — seek medical review if:
- Crying is accompanied by fever, vomiting, blood in stool, a swollen or tender abdomen, or the baby seems floppy or unusually pale.
- The cry itself changes character — becomes high-pitched, weak, or unrelenting in a way that feels different from the baby's usual cry.
- The baby is feeding poorly, losing weight, or not producing the expected number of wet nappies.
- Crying is constant with no settled periods at all, or a parent feels unable to cope safely.
If your baby has a fever, remember: fever of 38°C or more in a baby under 3 months is an emergency — do not give paracetamol and wait; seek urgent medical care.
Why babies cry more in these weeks
Crying is a newborn's only language, and in almost every baby it follows a predictable shape over the first few months, sometimes called the crying curve. Total daily crying tends to be modest in the very first days, rises steadily through the second and third weeks, peaks somewhere around six to eight weeks of age, and then gradually eases by three to four months. This pattern shows up across cultures and feeding types, which strongly suggests it is a normal stage of brain and nervous system development rather than a sign that something is wrong with the baby or with the parenting.
During this peak period, crying often clusters in the late afternoon and evening, can seem to come from nowhere, and may not respond to feeding, changing, or cuddling in any obvious way. When frequent, prolonged, and otherwise unexplained crying happens in an infant who is feeding and growing well and is otherwise healthy, it is often labelled colic. Colic is not a disease with a single known cause; current understanding treats it as one end of the normal range of infant crying and settling, possibly related to an immature gut-brain connection, gas, or simply the intensity of this developmental stage. It is not caused by anything a parent did wrong.
What actually helps
There is no single fix that works for every baby, but the same handful of approaches help many families cope:
- Movement and rhythm — gentle rocking, swaying, or a walk in a carrier or pram.
- Sound — white noise, a vacuum cleaner, or a low hum can mimic the constant sound of the womb.
- Skin-to-skin contact and being held upright against a chest.
- Swaddling for some babies, though others prefer arms and legs free.
- Reviewing feeding position and pace if bottle-fed, to reduce swallowed air.
- A calm, quiet space, since an overtired or overstimulated baby can cry more, not less, with more handling.
None of these work every time, and that is expected, not a failure. It is completely reasonable to cycle through a short list of soothing attempts and accept that some crying spells simply have to run their course.
Protecting yourself as a parent
Prolonged crying is genuinely exhausting and can push any parent to the edge of their patience. It is always safe to put the baby down in the cot and step away for ten minutes if you feel overwhelmed, need to calm down, or simply need a break — a crying baby in a safe cot is never in danger from being briefly alone, but a baby who is shaken or handled roughly can be seriously harmed. Ask a partner, relative, or friend to take over for a while whenever you can, and do not treat needing a break as a sign of failure.
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Message us on WhatsAppClinical thresholds in this page were reviewed and signed off by Dr Didier Decamps on 17 August 2026. This is general information and does not replace an individual assessment by a qualified clinician.
Written with AI assistance. Reviewed, corrected and signed by Dr Didier Decamps, paediatrician.
Last reviewed: 17 August 2026