Why does my baby cry so much in the evening? Colic, wind and reflux explained

Q: What is colic and how long does it last?

Colic is usually defined as crying for 3 or more hours a day, on 3 or more days a week, in an otherwise healthy well-fed baby. It typically starts around 2 to 3 weeks, peaks around 6 to 8 weeks and settles by 3 to 4 months. It does not harm the baby.

Q: How do I know if my baby has wind?

A windy baby squirms, grimaces, pulls their knees up, goes red and cries during or after a feed, then often settles once a burp or wind passes. Babies swallow air when they feed and it is a normal part of newborn life.

Q: How do I get wind up from a baby?

Burp during and after feeds, hold your baby upright over your shoulder or sitting on your lap with the head supported, rub or pat the back gently, and try bicycle legs. Give it a few minutes and stop. Not every feed produces a burp.

Q: How do I know if my baby has reflux?

Simple reflux is the small posset after feeds and needs nothing more than a bib. Reflux is worth raising with the GP when it comes with crying and arching during or after feeds, refusing feeds, poor weight gain or large amounts brought up at most feeds. Smaller more frequent feeds, holding the baby upright for 20 to 30 minutes after feeds and checking the teat flow can help.

Q: When should I take a crying baby to the GP?

See the GP or ring the PHN if the crying comes with poor weight gain, refusing feeds, arching and crying with feeds, projectile vomiting, green or bloody vomit, blood in the poo, a fever, a cry that sounds different from usual, or a baby who is floppy or very sleepy. Ring 999 or 112 if your baby is struggling to breathe, is floppy or unresponsive, or has a rash that does not fade under a glass.

In short

Evening crying, often called the witching hour, is very common in the first 3 months. It builds from about 2 to 3 weeks, peaks around 6 to 8 weeks and usually fades by 3 to 4 months. It is not a sign that something is wrong with feeding.

Colic is crying 3 or more hours a day, 3 or more days a week, in an otherwise healthy well-fed baby. It follows the same 2 week to 4 month curve.
For wind: burp during and after feeds, hold upright, rub the back gently, try bicycle legs.
Bringing up small amounts of milk after feeds (posseting) is normal if your baby is gaining weight and content.
See the GP for poor weight gain, refusing feeds, arching and crying with feeds, projectile, green or bloody vomit, blood in the poo, fever, a different-sounding cry, or a floppy or very sleepy baby.
Never shake a baby. If you are at the end of your rope, put the baby down safely in the cot and step away.

Evening crying is so common in the first 3 months that it has a name, the witching hour. It usually starts around 2 to 3 weeks, peaks around 6 to 8 weeks and is not a sign that anything is wrong with your milk, the formula or your baby. It passes.

Why does my baby cry so much in the evening?

Nobody knows for certain, which is not what you want to hear at 7pm with a red-faced baby who has been going since 5. What is known is that a great many healthy babies have a fussy, cranky stretch in the late afternoon or evening in the first 3 months, that it tends to build from about 2 to 3 weeks and peak around 6 to 8 weeks, and that it usually fades by 3 to 4 months on its own.

Overtiredness after a long day of stimulation, a run of short cluster feeds, and a baby who is simply done with the day all seem to play a part. Evening crying is not a sign that your milk is running low, that the formula is wrong or that your baby is hungry all evening. If your baby is feeding enough during the day and gaining weight, the evening fuss is a phase, not a feeding problem.

What is colic and how long does it last?

Colic is a description of the crying, not a disease. The usual definition is crying for 3 or more hours a day, on 3 or more days a week, in a baby who is otherwise healthy and feeding well. The crying is often intense, hard to soothe and worst in the evening, and the baby may pull their legs up, clench their fists and go red in the face.

It typically starts around 2 to 3 weeks, peaks around 6 to 8 weeks and settles by 3 to 4 months. That is a long time when you are living through it, but it does end, and colic does not harm the baby or affect how they grow. The person it is hardest on is the one holding the baby.

How do I know if my baby has wind?

A windy baby squirms and grimaces during or after a feed, pulls their knees up, arches a little, goes red and cries, then often settles the moment a burp or a bit of wind comes out. Babies swallow air when they feed, especially if they gulp, cry before a feed or take a bottle with a fast teat, and the air has to come out one way or the other.

Wind is a normal part of newborn life. It is only worth a second look if the crying with feeds happens at every feed and your baby is not gaining weight, which is a GP question rather than a wind question.

How do I get wind up from a baby?

Burp during and after feeds. Halfway through a bottle or when swapping sides, and again at the end.
Upright over your shoulder, chin resting on your shoulder, one hand supporting the head and neck, with gentle pats or rubs on the back.
Sitting on your lap, leaning slightly forward with your hand under the chin supporting the chest and head, rubbing the back.
Bicycle legs. Lying on their back, gently cycle the legs to move wind through.

Give it a few minutes and then stop. Not every feed produces a burp, and a baby who falls asleep contentedly on a feed without one is fine. If wind is a constant battle, check the bottle teat flow and try feeding in a calm quiet room before the baby gets frantic.

Is it normal for a baby to bring up milk after a feed?

Yes. Most babies bring up small amounts of milk after feeds. This is called posseting, and it looks like a lot more on the muslin than it really is. If your baby is gaining weight, feeding well and content, bringing up milk is a laundry problem rather than a medical one, and it usually improves as they get older.

How do I know if my baby has reflux?

Reflux is milk coming back up from the stomach. Simple reflux, the posseting above, is common and needs nothing more than a bib and time. It becomes something to raise with the GP when it is causing trouble: crying and arching during or after feeds, refusing feeds or feeding only briefly, poor weight gain, or bringing up large amounts at most feeds.

Things that can help in the meantime: smaller, more frequent feeds, holding your baby upright for 20 to 30 minutes after a feed, keeping feeds calm and unhurried in a quiet room, and checking that the bottle teat is not too fast or too slow. Do not use pillows, wedges or loungers for sleep. The safe sleep advice, flat on the back on a firm mattress, does not change for a baby with reflux.

Why won't my baby stop crying?

When the checklist of hungry, wet, tired, windy and too hot or cold has been gone through and the crying goes on, these are the things that most often work:

Movement. Walking, rocking, a sling, the pram along the road, the car.
White noise. The hoover, the extractor fan, a steady shush close to the ear.
A warm bath, which rescues a lot of evenings.
A calm, dim, quiet room and a feed offered without fuss.
Taking turns. Twenty minutes off, out of earshot, and the parent coming back is a different person. Hand the baby over before you hit the wall, not after.

Sometimes none of it works and the baby cries anyway. That does not mean you are doing it wrong. Never shake a baby. If you are at the end of your rope, put the baby down safely on their back in the cot, close the door and step away for a few minutes. A crying baby in a cot is safe. Come back when you are calmer, and ring someone, your partner, a parent, a friend or the PHN, if you need to.

When should I take a crying baby to the GP?

Colic and evening crying happen in a well baby. See the GP, or ring the PHN, if the crying comes with any of these:

Poor weight gain or refusing feeds
Arching and crying with every feed
Projectile vomiting, or vomit that is green or has blood in it
Blood in the poo
A fever
A cry that sounds different from usual, high-pitched or weak
A baby who is floppy, very sleepy or hard to wake, or just not themselves

And go anyway if your instinct says something is not right. GPs and PHNs see a lot of crying babies and nobody will think you are wasting their time.

This is a guide, not medical advice. If you are worried about your baby, ring your PHN or GP, and ring 999 or 112 if your baby is struggling to breathe, is floppy or unresponsive, or has a rash that does not fade under a glass.

How do I work out what is setting my baby off?

Write down feed times, sleep and the crying spells for a few days, and a pattern usually appears: a nap that ended too long before the meltdown, a longer than usual gap between feeds, or the same slot every evening. Once you can see it you can get ahead of it, with an earlier nap, a feed at 5 instead of 6 or the bath before the crying starts. Lullagram puts feeds, naps and notes on one timeline so the pattern is visible without a notebook, and both parents see it, including the one who was at work when it kicked off. It is free to try on Android, iPhone and web.