Crying baby

Category: Babies & Children · All children symptoms

What it can feel like

Excessive crying means a baby who cries far more than expected — inconsolable episodes, often in the evening, in an otherwise thriving baby (the classic colic pattern), or a change from a settled baby to a persistently crying one. A baby who was settled and becomes inconsolable is a different problem from the long-standing evening crier and is always examined.

Possible causes

A symptom can have many causes, and most are not serious. The lists below group conditions this symptom can be associated with — common causes first. They are possibilities to discuss with a clinician, not a diagnosis.

Common causes

Excessive crying can be associated with colic (a developmental pattern peaking around 6 weeks and resolving by 3–4 months), hunger and growth spurts, reflux discomfort, wind, tiredness, overstimulation, and a wet or soiled nappy.

Other possible causes

A change to inconsolable crying can be associated with infection (urine infection, meningitis, ear infection), a hair or thread tourniquet around a finger, toe or penis, a scratch on the eye, a hernia that is stuck, intussusception (with pain episodes, pallor and later redcurrant-jelly stool), or a fracture — including, importantly, one caused by rough handling.

Red flags — when to seek help promptly

A baby who is inconsolable and cannot be settled at all — same-day examination
Crying with fever under 3 months, a bulging soft spot, or a non-blanching rash
Crying with vomiting that is green or projectile, a swollen abdomen, or blood in the stool
Crying with a pale, floppy or unusually sleepy baby
Crying with a swollen finger, toe or genitals (check for a hair tourniquet)
High-pitched or weak cry quite unlike the baby's normal cry

What a clinician may do

A clinician will undress and examine the baby fully — ears, mouth, fingers, toes, genitals, abdomen, hernia sites and the soft spot — because the cause is usually found by looking. Urine testing follows when no source is found; the colic pattern, with a thriving baby and normal examination, is managed with explanation, soothing strategies and support for exhausted parents.

Watch: related videos

Examination and clinical videos from the MedicalVideos.com library relevant to this symptom. Some clinical footage is graphic — that is the nature of a medical video library.

▶ WatchHow to calm a crying babyWatch on MedicalVideos.com ▶ WatchHow to calm a crying baby everytimeWatch on MedicalVideos.com

Related guides on MedicalVideos.com

Frequently asked questions

What actually is colic?

Colic describes prolonged crying in a healthy, thriving baby — classically more than three hours a day, more than three days a week — peaking at six weeks and resolving by three to four months. Its mechanism is debated (gut sensitivity, microbiome, temperament), but its course is reliable: it ends, and no harm accrues to the baby.

I feel at breaking point with the crying — what should I do?

Put the baby down safely on their back in the cot, walk out, breathe, and call someone — a partner, family member, friend or health visitor. Stepping away is the safe, correct response. Never shake a baby: shaking causes devastating brain injury, and every crying-baby plan includes giving yourself permission to pause.

Related symptoms — Babies & Children

Baby not feeding well Baby reflux Bedwetting Constipation in children Cough in children Diarrhoea in children

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Please note: This page is educational information about a symptom. A symptom alone cannot diagnose any condition, and the causes listed here are possibilities, not a diagnosis. If you are worried about a symptom — especially one that is new, severe, getting worse or not going away — please see your own clinician, who can examine you and arrange tests. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.