Baby communication patterns
You may be wondering if your newborn’s crying is normal. Fortunately, experts have asked the same question. Research has found that crying follows a pattern during the early months, with a typical increase and peak, followed by a decrease.1
Simply put, babies cry. Crying tends to increase in the first 2-3 months of life, with most newborns reaching a “crying peak” around week 6. Once that peak is hit, crying decreases, and by 3 months, parents can expect their newborn to cry for about an hour a day.
Babies also develop patterns around when they cry. These patterns can become apparent as early as 10 days from birth. The most distinct pattern coincides with the crying peak, when babies tend to cry in clusters. Known as “the Witching Hour”, this period of increased fussiness usually happens at the end of the day, between the hours of 6pm to midnight.2
Of course, every baby is different. Your infant might hit their crying peak at 3 weeks of age, while another won’t reach the top of Meltdown Mountain until week 8. The amount of crying will differ from baby to baby as well: some will peak at an hour of crying a day, while others may cry for up to five hours.
Keeping track of your baby's crying
If you're interested in learning more about your baby’s crying patterns and what they could mean, home monitoring can be helpful. Keep a written record of the following:
- When your baby cries within a single day. Crying can be incredibly aggravating, and you may feel like your baby cries all the time. Tracking exactly when the crying happens and how long it lasts provides clarity. Chances are, there’s a concentrated time of day your baby cries and it lasts for less time than you think. Besides providing perspective, tracking helps you plan ahead for the times of day when your baby tends to cry. Being ready with a set of soothing strategies and any support plan for yourself can make life a lot easier.
- When your baby cries within a week. Zoom out and track your child’s patterns over the course of a week. Is their crying getting worse or better? If it’s improving or about the same, then the cries are probably normal and will phase out over time. If it’s getting worse, it could be an indication of a deeper issue that requires medical attention. Having a clearly documented journal of when crying happens (for example, after every feed) can help your doctor diagnose and treat an underlying cause.
References
1 https://dontshake.org/purple-crying
2 psycnet.apa.org/record/1990-24930-001
EXTERNAL RESOURCES
Additional resources
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