Why do babies cry?

[mme_highlight] All babies cry even without having any medical condition and they tend to cry during the first three months after birth more than at any other time. Crying related to colic is louder and more intense, being almost impossible to soothe a baby with colic. [mme_highlight]

When a baby cries persistently it can become an issue for parents, who can start doubting the quality of their care or if their child may have a more serious condition. All babies cry even without having any medical condition and they tend to cry during the first three months after birth more than at any other time.

A study based on records written by parents, keeping a record of their child’s crying periods, showed that, although there is an obvious individual variation, the average duration of crying, per day is:

0 to 6 weeks of life: 110-118 minutes per day;
10 to 12 weeks of life: 72 minutes per day.

Colic, the excessive crying

The term colic is often used to describe excessive crying. The duration of crying per day in a baby with colic can be up to two hours per day. Certainly babies cry, even if they do not have colic, but generally less time per day. Approximately 40% of all infants have colic, which usually starts three to six weeks after birth and in 90% of infants it ends by four months of age.
There can also be some features and patterns linked to colic that patents should notice. Both the onset and end of a colic episode are frequently easy to recognize, with a sudden period of crying regardless of the previous mood of the baby and mostly at evening. The crying will end when the gas passes or the bowel moves. Over time, parents will understand that colic is indeed different from other normal crying patterns: crying related to colic is louder and more intense, being almost impossible to soothe a baby with colic.

Other causes of crying

Fatigue and/or overstimulation: It is possible that the accumulation of excessive stimuli during day may increase crying at evening. Babies often cry when they become tired from playing or being handled. Soothing the baby is the key.
Hunger: There are some periods in which your baby will want to feed with more frequency than parents are used to; if this is the case, simply feed your child to see if this soothes the crying.
Pain: search for anything than can be a cause of pain, like a hair wrapped around a finger or a diaper which may be too tight.
Gastroesophageal reflux: this can be suggested when crying starts after feeding.
Food sensitivities: what the mother eats passes to the milk and this can cause a reaction or digestive pain in the baby.

How much crying is too much crying?

During the first three months of life, the duration of crying per day can vary between 42 minutes to 2 hours. However, assessing the duration of crying is not the most important feature to notice in crying. The context and quality of crying can be key points to try to understand why your child is crying. To sum up, there is no quantitative definition for “excessive crying” and it is normal for an infant to cry for up to two hours per day. If you have concerns about you infant’s pattern and cause of crying, do not hesitate to discuss the subject with a health care provider.

Summary and Recommendations

Crying is a normal behavior in babies. Crying for up to two hours per day is within the normal range.
Crying time has a peak during the first three months of life.
Colic is many times defined by excessive crying. Babies with colic often present a different crying pattern, which can be louder (high-pitched) and more intense; it can be very difficult to soothe a baby with colic.
Other situations that make your baby more prone to cry can be: fatigue, hunger, pain and gastroesophageal reflux.

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References

St James-Roberts I, Halil T. Infant crying patterns in the first year: normal community and clinical findings. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 1991; 32:951.
Lehtonen LA, Rautava PT. Infantile colic: natural history and treatment. Curr Probl Pediatr 1996; 26:79.
Geertsma MA, Hyams JS. Colic–a pain syndrome of infancy? Pediatr Clin North Am 1989; 36:905.

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