Crying is how babies talk
Newborns cry about 3 hours a day on average, with a peak around 6 to 8 weeks. "PURPLE crying" describes a normal phase from about 2 weeks to 3 or 4 months: Peak of crying, Unexpected, Resists soothing, Pain-like face, Long-lasting, Evening. It can reach several hours a day and it does end.
Soothing checklist
- Hungry? Tired? Wet or dirty? Too hot or cold? Gas? Sick?
- Hold, rock, walk, sing, or shush. Skin-to-skin helps.
- Swaddle (until about 3-4 months, or until baby tries to roll) and offer sucking.
- White noise, a car ride, a baby carrier.
- Responding to crying does not spoil a baby.
If you are at your limit
Every parent hits it. If you feel yourself losing control: put the baby down on their back in the crib, close the door, and step away for a few minutes. Or hand baby to someone else. Never shake a baby. Shaking can cause permanent brain damage or death. Then call someone: a partner, a friend, your doctor or a helpline. Taking a breath in the next room is good parenting.
When crying is a medical problem
- A cry that sounds different, high-pitched or weak.
- Crying with fever, vomiting, poor feeding, or a swollen belly.
- A baby who is hard to wake or cannot be comforted at all.
- Colic is a diagnosis of exclusion. Have your pediatrician check baby before you assume it.
Look after yourself
If sadness or anxiety lasts more than two weeks, tell your doctor. If you feel unsafe, or things feel unreal, call 988 or 1-833-TLC-MAMA.
Not feeling okay? Reach out now.
Education, not medical advice. Every baby and every parent is different. Ask your own doctor, midwife or pediatrician about anything specific to you, and call them or emergency services if you are worried. Sources for this guide: LHSC: Period of PURPLE Crying; Raising Children Network: soothing a crying baby; Zero to Three; Kaiser Permanente: your newborn at home. All sources.