Introduction

Crying is a baby's main way of asking for help. All babies cry, often without any clear reason. It is common for newborns to cry 1 to 4 hours a day. Crying usually increases from about two weeks of age and gradually eases at about three months; it is most common in the afternoon and evening.

Common Causes

  • Hunger
  • A wet or dirty diaper
  • Tiredness
  • Wanting to be held and cuddled
  • Gas
  • Being too hot or too cold
  • Boredom, or too much noise and stimulation around them

Early Signs of Hunger

Crying is usually a late sign of hunger; once a baby is crying, it can be harder for them to settle down and feed. Watch for these earlier signs:

  • Turning the head and opening the mouth to search for the breast (rooting)
  • Licking the lips or sticking the tongue out
  • Bringing a hand to the mouth again and again, or sucking on anything nearby
  • Becoming fussy

Not every cry or sucking movement means your baby is hungry.

Ways to Soothe

In the first months, it helps to respond to crying quickly; you cannot spoil a young baby with attention. You can try these one at a time:

  • Check the basics first: is your baby hungry, does the diaper need changing, are they too hot or too cold?
  • Hold your baby close; rock them gently in your arms or sway slowly from side to side
  • Gently stroke their head, or softly pat their back or chest
  • Talk, sing or play soft music
  • Take a walk with your baby in your arms or in the stroller
  • Burp your baby to relieve trapped gas
  • A warm bath calms some babies but can upset others

If nothing works and your baby otherwise seems well, laying them on their back in their safe crib for a short while can also help.

Can the Sound of a Cry Be Decoded?

A popular idea holds that newborns make five distinct sounds, each with a fixed meaning such as hunger or tiredness. However, a controlled study published in 2023 analyzed about 39,000 cries recorded at home from 24 babies aged 15 days to 3.5 months: neither trained adult listeners nor machine learning could reliably tell from the sound alone whether a baby was crying from hunger, discomfort or being left alone. Rather than trying to decode the sound, look at the signs around it: the early hunger cues above, when your baby last fed and whether the diaper needs changing.

If You Feel Overwhelmed

Long spells of crying can be exhausting; this happens to many parents, so do not hesitate to ask for help. If you feel you are running out of patience, lay your baby on their back in their safe crib, go into another room and try to calm down; set yourself a time limit, for example 10 minutes, then go back. However overwhelmed you feel, never shake a baby: shaking can cause brain damage, blindness or even death.

When Should You See a Doctor?

  • If your baby cannot be comforted at all, or the cry does not sound like their usual cry
  • If there are signs of illness, such as a fever or no interest in feeding

In a baby younger than three months, a measured temperature of 38 °C or higher needs medical evaluation without waiting. If the cry is weak, high-pitched or continuous, get urgent medical help without waiting. If your baby cannot breathe, has blue lips or tongue, has a seizure, is floppy or does not respond, call your local emergency number (112 in Türkiye). If you feel something is seriously wrong, trust your instincts and get help without waiting.

Summary

Crying is how babies communicate, and its causes vary. Watching for the early signs, trying soothing steps one at a time and asking for help when you need it make this stage easier; if the crying seems unusual or comes with signs of illness, always consult a healthcare provider.

Sources

This app is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult your doctor or pediatrician for decisions about your baby's health.