Some babies cry for no apparent reason. And sometimes for several hours a day, often in the afternoon or evening. They are neither sick nor hungry or have full diapers. Nevertheless, they cannot be soothed. Even if such crying fits are harmless in most cases, they are usually very stressful for parents. In addition to the heavy burden on parents, there is also the worry of doing something wrong.

Frequent and prolonged crying is not unusual in the first few weeks. If your baby cries and whines for more than 3 hours on more than 3 days a week over a period of 3 weeks, this is known as excessive crying. The cause of such excessive crying is rarely the fault of the parents. The crying can have a variety of causes:

• Sometimes babies have problems getting to sleep
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• It may be that the baby gets too little sleep during the day, is overstimulated and overwhelmed by too many impressions.
• Some babies find it harder to establish a sleep-wake rhythm.
• Some babies are temperamental or restless and require their parents to be particularly sensitive to their needs.
• Some babies have digestive problems, especially in the evening. This is because the digestive system still has to mature in the first few months of life.