LEELALUBaby, 0 to 3 months
Why does my baby cry every evening?
Evening crying in the early weeks is one of the most studied patterns in infancy. What you are hearing has a name, a timeline, and an end, and none of it is a grade on your parenting.
The short answer
It has a name, a peak, and an expiration date.
Crying normally increases in the early weeks, tends to peak around 6 weeks to 2 months, and then eases over months 3 to 5. Many babies are fussiest in the late afternoon and evening, sometimes called the witching hour, and that evening timing is a recognized feature of normal newborn crying. Some healthy, well-fed babies cry for hours a day during this stretch. It is a passing phase, not a reflection of your parenting.
What's going on
The pattern, the evening timing, and the word colic.
Start with the big picture, because it changes how the evenings feel. This crying follows a curve that researchers have mapped in detail:
Crying normally increases in the early weeks, tends to peak around 6 weeks to 2 months, and then eases over months 3 to 5, a well-studied pattern researchers call the Period of PURPLE Crying.Seattle Children's Hospital, Period of PURPLE Crying (National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome program) · 0-3 months
Reviewed wording: "Crying normally increases in the early weeks, tends to peak around 6 weeks to 2 months, and then eases over months 3 to 5, a well-studied pattern researchers call the Period of PURPLE Crying. Some healthy, well-fed babies cry for hours a day and can be hard to soothe during this stretch; it is a passing phase, not a reflection of your parenting. Knowing the peak is coming can make it easier to ride out."
Read that middle sentence again on a hard night: hard to soothe is part of the documented pattern. A baby who keeps crying in your arms is not evidence that you are holding them wrong. Next, the evening timing you asked about. It is so common it has its own letter in the pattern's name:
Many babies are fussiest in the late afternoon and evening, sometimes called the 'witching hour', which is a recognized feature of normal newborn crying (the 'E,' Evening, in the Period of PURPLE Crying).Seattle Children's Hospital, Period of PURPLE Crying (National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome program) · 0-3 months
Reviewed wording: "Many babies are fussiest in the late afternoon and evening, sometimes called the 'witching hour', which is a recognized feature of normal newborn crying (the 'E,' Evening, in the Period of PURPLE Crying). It can come and go without an obvious reason and often eases as your baby moves past the early-weeks crying peak. Calm routines, lower light, and gentle soothing can help you both through it."
Then there is the word everyone reaches for around week three: colic. Here is what it actually describes:
Colic describes long bouts of crying, often more than about 3 hours a day, in a baby who is otherwise healthy, feeding, growing, and content between episodes.American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org (Crying Baby - Before 3 Months Old, symptom guide) · 0-3 months
Reviewed wording: "Colic describes long bouts of crying, often more than about 3 hours a day, in a baby who is otherwise healthy, feeding, growing, and content between episodes. It is usually seen in a well, well-fed baby who may simply be extra sensitive and not yet able to self-settle. Colic is a description of a pattern, not a disease, and it does not mean something is wrong with you or your baby."
And, most importantly, colic ends. Not through anything you do or fail to do; it simply resolves as your baby matures:
Colic usually starts in the first few weeks (often between weeks 2 and 4) and tends to improve after about 2 months, resolving by around 3 to 4 months in most babies (occasionally up to 6 months).American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org (Colic Relief Tips for Parents) · 0-3 months
Reviewed wording: "Colic usually starts in the first few weeks (often between weeks 2 and 4) and tends to improve after about 2 months, resolving by around 3 to 4 months in most babies (occasionally up to 6 months). It passes on its own as your baby matures. Because the crying can be intense and draining, check with your pediatrician to rule out other causes and to get support for yourself."
Notice what none of these sources say. None of them say the crying is caused by something you did. None of them treat it as a problem to be solved by a better parent. The pattern rises, peaks, and fades on its own schedule, in homes with experienced parents and first-timers alike. Your job on a crying evening is not to fix it; it is to get through it with both of you cared for.
When to call
When crying deserves a phone call.
This page is education, not diagnosis. If something feels wrong, call your pediatrician (or your OB for your own body). In an emergency in the US, call 911.
Tonight's small action
Take a five-minute break, on purpose.
When the evening crying starts and you feel your own tank emptying, hand the baby to the other parent or a trusted adult and step outside for five minutes. If no one else is home, putting a crying baby safely down in the crib and taking a break is always allowed. Breathe, drink some water, come back when you are steadier. That break is care for your baby, not a retreat from them.
Keep going
Where to next.
- Build a caregiver handoff card: write down what works so any caregiver can repeat it
- What actually calms a fussy baby?
- Is waking every 2 hours normal?
- Why is my baby awake all night and asleep all day?
- All baby questions, 0 to 3 months
Reviewed by the LEELALU team (editorial review) · Updated August 3, 2026 · Sources named above.