If your newborn is crying for about two hours a day, they are experiencing average, normal infant behavior. This crying typically remains steady for the first two months of life before finally beginning a significant decline around eight to nine weeks.
You might have heard from friends, family, or even online forums that infant crying universally "peaks" at exactly six weeks of age. When you are in the thick of sleep deprivation and soothing a fussy baby, the idea of a single, predictable peak is incredibly tempting. However, the most rigorous modern research paints a slightly different, though still very reassuring, picture of infant development.
According to a massive 2017 meta-analysis by Wolke and colleagues, which examined 28 diary studies representing 8,690 infants, babies fuss and cry for an average of 117 to 133 minutes per day during their first six weeks. A subsequent 2022 meta-analysis in Child Development by Vermillet et al. confirmed this, finding that infants cry for approximately 126 minutes per day at 5 to 6 weeks of age.
Crucially, the Wolke analysis found *no* statistical evidence for a universal crying "peak" at six weeks. Instead of a sharp spike followed by an immediate drop, most babies maintain a relatively high baseline of crying for the first two months. The true relief for parents typically begins after the 8 to 9-week mark. By the time your baby reaches 10 to 12 weeks, the average crying time drops dramatically to about 68 minutes per day. The crying does end, and it will get significantly easier—it just might take a couple of weeks longer than the "six-week peak" myth suggests.
When it is NOT just normal
While two hours of crying a day is statistically normal, certain types of crying or accompanying symptoms require immediate medical attention. Do not assume crying is normal if you observe any of the following red flags:
- Fever: Any temperature of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher in an infant under 3 months old is a medical emergency.
- Unusual Cry Quality: A high-pitched, inconsolable cry that sounds distinctly different from their normal fussing, or a cry resembling a "cat-like" wail.
- Late Onset: Crying that suddenly starts or dramatically worsens after 6 weeks of age, or persists without improvement past 4 months.
- Accompanying Symptoms: Blood in the stool, projectile vomiting (not just normal spit-up), poor weight gain, or extreme lethargy.
If your baby exhibits any of these signs, contact your pediatrician or seek urgent medical care immediately. These are not signs of normal infant crying and must be evaluated by a doctor.
Furthermore, dealing with infant crying is incredibly stressful. Infant crying is the leading trigger for abusive head trauma. Remember the Period of PURPLE Crying: it is normal for crying to be unpredictable and resistant to soothing. If you feel overwhelmed, frustrated, or angry, it is completely safe to put your baby down in a safe place, like their crib, and step away for a few minutes to calm yourself. Call a partner, friend, or helpline if you need support.
What to try tonight
If you are dealing with a crying baby right now, here are a few free, safe, and immediate strategies you can try to soothe them and yourself:
- Change the Environment: Step outside into the fresh air or move to a different room. A sudden change in temperature, lighting, or background noise can sometimes act as a reset button for a fussy infant.
- Skin-to-Skin Contact: Strip your baby down to their diaper and place them directly on your bare chest, covering their back with a blanket. This can help regulate their heart rate, breathing, and temperature.
- Rhythmic Motion: Walk around the house with a gentle, repetitive bounce. Avoid sudden or jerky movements, but a steady rhythm mimics the environment of the womb.
- Take a Break: If you have been trying to soothe your baby for 15 minutes and feel your own stress rising, safely place them in their crib and leave the room for five minutes. Drink a glass of water, take deep breaths, and return when you feel calmer.
The structured trial
Because the "six-week peak" is a myth, tracking your baby's unique crying patterns is the most effective way to understand their specific developmental timeline. By systematically observing your baby over two weeks, you can identify if their crying is actually trending downward, plateauing, or increasing.
Over the next 14 days, log the duration of your baby’s crying episodes each day. Try to be as accurate as possible, noting the start and end times of significant fussiness. You are looking for a baseline pattern. Does the total crying time hover around the 120-minute mark? Are there specific times of day when the crying is most intense?
After two weeks of consistent tracking, review your data. If your baby is approaching the 8 to 9-week mark, you should begin to see a gradual but steady decline in the total daily crying minutes. If the crying remains relentlessly high beyond 10 weeks, or if the pattern is erratic and unpredictable, you will have a solid, data-driven log to share with your pediatrician to help them evaluate whether an underlying issue, rather than just normal development, might be at play.