Settling in: why your newborn cries so much (weeks 0 to 8)

Window 1 of the Fussy Phase Forecast · Last verified: July 7, 2026

The short answer: crying normally increases from around 2 weeks of age and eases off around 3 months. It is not a sign that something is wrong or that you are doing a bad job. By the 2-month mark, most babies also start giving something back: real smiles, small sounds, eyes that follow you around the room.

The fourth trimester, roughly speaking

Newborns arrive unfinished. For the first weeks, your baby is adjusting to light, gravity, hunger, and being separate from you, all at once. Wanting to be held nearly constantly is a normal part of this stage, not a bad habit you are creating. The UK’s National Health Service lists “wanting a cuddle” right next to hunger and a wet nappy among the most common reasons a baby cries (NHS).

Here is the part almost nobody tells you at the hospital: crying has a curve, and the curve has a top. Babies typically start crying more at about 2 weeks of age. It builds over the next few weeks and peaks at about 6 to 8 weeks. After that, most babies cry less and less each week, and things ease off around 3 months (NHS, NHS Black Country). So if you are in week 3 and it keeps getting louder, you are not imagining it, and it will not climb forever. The hill has a summit.

Late afternoon and evening are the most common rough hours, which is exactly when you are most tired yourself. Unfair, but normal.

The fussy patch around week 5

A 1992 study that closely followed 15 mothers and their babies, week by week, noticed a patch of extra fussing around week 5: more crying, and a stronger need to be held (the original research, reviewed here). A 2002 study of Catalan babies found similar rough patches in the first year (Sadurní & Rostan, 2002).

We owe you honesty here: when other researchers tried to confirm those exact weeks, they could not. Fussy patches are real, but their timing varies a lot from baby to baby, and even from day to day in the same baby (the follow-up research, same review). So treat week 5 as a rough landmark, not an appointment. If your baby’s roughest week is week 4 or week 7, nothing is wrong.

Is it colic?

Maybe, and if so, it has a boring definition. The NHS calls it colic when an otherwise healthy baby cries more than 3 hours a day, 3 days a week, for at least a week (NHS colic page). Colicky babies often cry more in the afternoon and evening, clench their fists, go red, or pull their knees up. It usually starts at a few weeks old and stops by 3 to 4 months.

Nobody knows exactly what causes it. That is the actual state of the science, and it matters, because it means colic is not caused by something you did.

What the NHS suggests trying:

Hold or cuddle your baby when they cry a lot
Keep them upright during feeds, and wind them afterwards
Rock them gently, over your shoulder, in the crib, or in the pram
A warm bath (calms some babies, makes others crier, you will find out which one you have)
Gentle background noise, like a radio at low volume

What the NHS says to skip: anti-colic drops, herbal and probiotic supplements (sold everywhere, but there is no evidence they help), and spinal or skull manipulation, which has little evidence and may hurt your baby.

One safety note straight from the NHS: if your baby’s cry becomes weak or high-pitched, or does not sound like their normal cry, that is a reason to seek emergency care, not to wait.

Meanwhile, your baby is quietly learning

Under all that noise, the first real social equipment is coming online. The CDC’s milestone checklists, revised in 2022, list what most babies (75 percent or more) do by 2 months (CDC checklist, with the scientific basis in Zubler et al., Pediatrics 2022):

Calms down when spoken to or picked up
Looks at your face, and seems happy to see you when you walk up
Smiles when you talk to or smile at them (the real ones, not the gas ones)
Makes sounds other than crying, and reacts to loud sounds
Watches you as you move, and looks at a toy for several seconds
Holds their head up when on tummy, moves both arms and both legs, opens hands briefly

If your baby was born early, count these from the due date, not the birth date. That adjusted age is the fair yardstick for development, and it is the one our forecast uses.

Surviving the hard evenings

Some crying will not stop no matter what you do. The NHS is refreshingly direct about this: there may be little you can do except comfort your baby and wait for it to pass.

When you are at your limit, it is safe and reasonable to put your baby down in their cot or pram, make sure they are safe, close the door, and take ten minutes in another room to breathe. That is an official NHS coping strategy, not giving up. Never shake a baby, no matter how frustrated you feel; shaking can cause brain damage. And if the crying is wearing you down, say so to someone: your partner, a friend, your baby’s doctor. Asking for help is normal parenting, not failure.

When to call your pediatrician

The CDC’s advice is simple and worth keeping: if your baby is missing one or more of the milestones above by 2 months, or has lost skills they once had, do not wait. Talk with the doctor and ask about developmental screening.

And a rule we will repeat on every page of this site: your own concern is reason enough to call. You know your baby better than any checklist does.

Keep reading

Sources

Peanutbean provides general information for educational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Every baby develops at their own pace. Always talk to your pediatrician about your child’s health.

Common questions

When does newborn crying peak?

Crying usually builds from about 2 weeks of age, peaks around 6 to 8 weeks, then eases week by week and settles by about 3 months. If your baby's hardest stretch lands a little earlier or later, that is still normal.

How do I know if it is colic?

The NHS calls it colic when an otherwise healthy baby cries more than 3 hours a day, 3 days a week, for at least a week. It often peaks in the evening and usually eases by 3 to 4 months. Nobody knows the exact cause, and it is not something you caused.

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