Dealing with a very young baby

Building a strong relationship between parents/carers and their new baby will give the child the best possible start in life and will help them to grow up happy and confident.  

The UNICEF leaflet in the useful links section can help you to develop that strong relationship, starting in pregnancy and continuing into the early days, weeks and months of your baby’s life. 

Crying is the normal way for babies to communicate and is something all babies do. Babies often start to cry more frequently from about two weeks of age. This can be any time of day, but it commonly occurs in the late afternoon or evening. 

It isn’t unusual for a baby to cry from one to five hours daily, with a peak during the first two months of life then usually lessening by the fourth or fifth month.  

Prolonged crying was traditionally referred to as having colic, but evidence shows that just 5% of infants cry excessively because of a serious medical condition. Most babies who cry a lot are well and develop normally. 

Some crying may be inconsolable, and the baby resists all attempts of soothing. The baby may appear to be in pain, even when they are not. 

Crying allows babies to build close relationships with the people that they need to care for them. In this way, crying may be central to the formation of a positive emotional bond or attachment with parents or caregiver. 

A baby’s cry is not designed to be ignored and it is very stressful and overwhelming to listen to, especially when you have tried everything and nothing has worked. It can leave you feeling upset, frustrated and maybe even angry. There are multiple things you can do to help you cope with crying babies.  

• See the useful links section for where you can get helpful tips and advice. 

You can also contact us for advice. 

If you are concerned your child may be unwell, please always seek medical advice.  

• during the day from Monday to Friday – it’s best to call your GP surgery 
• evenings and weekends – call NHS 111 
• if your baby is under 6 months old it’s hard for a doctor or nurse to assess them over the phone – you can go to an urgent treatment centre or, if you’re very worried, take them to A&E 

It can be very difficult to decide what you need to buy for your baby either when you are pregnant or in the early weeks and you may feel pressured by friends and family or advertisements to buy certain products. It is important to double check that any equipment you are buying meets appropriate safety standards and keep an eye out for any product recalls.  

See the useful links section for more information on what equipment you need for your baby. 

• Is your baby or toddler seriously ill? (NHS)
• Building a happy baby (UNICEF)
• Advice for parents on coping with infant crying (ICON)
• Additional support for parents with crying and sleepless babies (CRY-SIS)
• What you’ll need for your baby (NHS)