Crying is a newborn’s only form of communication, and it is used generously. If you are in the middle of those early weeks wondering whether the amount of crying you are experiencing is normal, you are in good company. It is one of the most common concerns parents bring to White’s Pediatrics, and the honest answer requires more nuance than a simple reassurance.
Yes, newborns cry a lot. Yes, the amount varies significantly from baby to baby and from week to week. And yes, there is a specific pattern of intense crying in the early weeks that many families experience — one that can be genuinely overwhelming — that is within the range of normal newborn behavior.
What Normal Newborn Crying Looks Like
Most newborns cry between two and three hours in a 24-hour period during the first few weeks of life. This sounds like a lot — and in the middle of the night, it feels like even more — but it is considered within the normal range.
Crying tends to increase gradually from birth, peak somewhere around four to six weeks of age, and then begin to decrease as your baby develops more ways to communicate and as their nervous system matures. By three to four months of age, most babies are crying significantly less than they did in those early weeks.
The timing of crying also often concentrates in the late afternoon and evening hours. This pattern — sometimes called the witching hour, though it frequently extends well beyond a single hour — is common across many newborns and does not necessarily reflect a feeding problem, a parenting problem, or anything that is wrong with your baby.
Understanding Colic
When crying is intense, difficult to soothe, and concentrated in long stretches during the early weeks, pediatricians sometimes describe it using the term colic. The word colic is used to describe a pattern of prolonged, inconsolable crying in an otherwise healthy, well-fed baby — not a diagnosis or a disease in the traditional sense.
The pattern is sometimes described using what is informally called the rule of three: crying for more than three hours per day, for more than three days per week, for more than three weeks in a baby who is otherwise healthy. This description is a way of characterizing the pattern, not a clinical diagnosis that changes what you should do.
The cause of colic is not fully understood. It is likely that the prolonged crying in this pattern reflects the immature nervous system’s response to the stimulation of the world, combined with the physical discomfort of digestion and gas, and possibly the buildup of parental stress that communicates back to the baby. Whatever the underlying mechanism, it is not caused by poor parenting, and it resolves on its own as the baby’s nervous system matures.
Soothing Strategies That May Help
There is no single approach that works for every baby, and some colicky babies prove genuinely resistant to soothing during their peak crying periods. That said, some strategies help more babies settle more often than others.
Motion and rhythmic movement:
Gentle rhythmic motion — rocking, swaying, a slow walk, or a short car ride — mimics the movement babies experienced in the womb and is one of the most consistently effective soothing approaches for many newborns.
White noise and sound:
Steady low-frequency sounds — a white noise machine, the sound of a running fan, or recordings of womb sounds — can help mask the irregular sounds of the household and provide a calming auditory background that some babies find settling.
Swaddling:
A firm, comfortable swaddle that mimics the snug feeling of the womb helps many newborns feel more secure and can reduce the startle reflex that sometimes interrupts settling.
Skin-to-skin contact:
Holding your baby skin to skin against your chest regulates their temperature, heartbeat, and stress response. For many babies, the physical closeness and warmth of this contact is calming.
Feeding check:
Before concluding that crying is colic, make sure hunger is not the cause. Offering a feeding when your baby is crying is always reasonable in the newborn period.
Caring for Yourself During This Period
This section matters as much as any other in this article. Caring for a colicky baby during the peak crying weeks is genuinely exhausting and emotionally difficult. It is important to have a plan for the moments when you have reached your limit.
If you have placed your baby safely in their crib and stepped away for a few minutes to collect yourself, that is the right thing to do. A baby who is crying in a safe environment is safer than a baby whose exhausted caregiver is beyond their capacity to respond calmly. Never shake a baby — shaking is the leading cause of traumatic brain injury in infants, and it most commonly occurs in moments of caregiver desperation with a crying baby.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, isolated, or struggling significantly with the crying period, please reach out to White’s Pediatrics. We can provide support, discuss what you are experiencing, and help connect you with resources if needed.
When Crying Warrants a Call to White's Pediatrics
- The cry sounds different from your baby’s normal cry — unusually high-pitched, weak, or strange
- Crying is accompanied by fever, and your baby is under 28 days old — go to the ER immediately
- Your baby is also showing signs of illness such as reduced feeding, lethargy, or unusual pallor
- You are concerned about how you or another caregiver are coping with the crying
- The crying pattern significantly changes after a period of relative calm
For additional guidance on normal newborn crying patterns and colic, the American Academy of Pediatrics at healthychildren.org and the Period of PURPLE Crying program at purplecrying.info are both excellent, evidence-based resources for new parents.
You can also read about newborn sleep and wake patterns and evening fussiness and day-night patterns on our blog for additional guidance.
White’s Pediatrics serves families across Dalton, Chatsworth, and Calhoun, Georgia.
Call us at (706) 876-2130
Dalton Urgent Care: Mon-Fri 5PM-9PM / Sat-Sun 8AM-12PM- Dalton, Chatsworth and Calhoun: Mon-Fri 8AM-5PM
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