There are few things as distressing to the human ear as the sound of your own baby crying and once you have heard her cry for the first time, you will never again be able to switch off when you hear it.

Nature has hardwired you to respond to your infant. In time, you will be able to distinguish the type of cry your baby is making and what the reason for it is.

The good news is that, usually, from the age of three months onwards, your baby won’t cry as much as she did at the start. Normally, babies cry from one to three hours a day before they are three months old, and after this point, not for more than one hour a day.

Your baby will still register her displeasure in this way, but not as frequently. Of course, these are generalisations and your baby is an individual. She may cry for longer periods than this rough guide details and it will be perfectly normal. However, if you think your baby is crying too much, have a look at the section about excessive crying to help you understand what could be wrong with your baby.

As with any concerns you might have regarding your baby’s happiness or welfare, you should consult your health visitor or GP for further advice. Be warned though, problematically for parents, long crying bouts in new babies are often explained away as colic. This is not really a medical diagnosis, more a phrase to explain something that is not fully understood. If you do think your baby is suffering from colic, you might find the following tips helpful:

Coping with a colicky baby
- Remember that Colic does not usually last for long and for most babies the symptoms will stop after about three months of them appearing.
- Your baby is not crying to annoy you or because you are a bad parent, or have done anything wrong. Try not to blame yourself and instead focus on helping to relieve your baby’s symptoms.
- Try to share a bit of the responsibility of your baby with your partner, friends and relatives to give yourself a break once in a while. If your baby cries at the same kind of time each night, ask a friend to pop in to help at this period to give you a break. If it does happen at the same time each night, you can prepare yourself for it beforehand. Prepare some easy meals in the morning so you don’t have to worry once your baby starts to fuss. Try to get some rest just before early evening so you are prepared and think positively before the crying starts. You know its going to happen, and even if your baby seems inconsolable, he probably finds the most comfort from you at this time so be there for him.
- Forget being the perfect housewife/wife/partner and leave the housework till another time. When this period is over you can go back to multi-tasking!
- Try not to take it out on your partner. Having a colicky baby is neither of your faults and you will need each other for support during this time. Take it in turns to deal with the crying so that one of you always has some time off.
- When things get too much, place your baby somewhere safe like in his cot (on his back) or in a chair bouncer and go into another room to calm down. Put on your favourite music for a bit and remember, this is only a short period in your baby’s childhood that WILL pass.
- If you find you cannot cope with your baby’s crying sessions, see your GP or mention this to your health visitor who can give you advice and put you in touch with professionals or other parents who can help.

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Last Modified: 20/06/2007