Hardly anything stresses and unsettles parents as much as a baby who cries a lot. Newborns vary in how demanding they are. Today, a regulatory disorder is assumed to be the cause of a crying baby. Affected babies are highly irritable and chronically restless. They react very sensitively to external stimuli. In addition, they often sleep far too little. Instead, they cry.

Three-month colic, as previously assumed, is only rarely the sole problem (food intolerances are rare). Physical causes are seldom found in crying babies, but must always be ruled out by a paediatrician.

It is very important that you never shake a baby! This is life-threatening! In emergency situations, place the baby in a safe place, for example in the crib. Take deep breaths in another place and seek help. Example: https://www.elternnotruf.ch 0848 35 45 55 (landline tariff)

What can you do if your baby often cries for a very long time?

For parents of a crying baby, it is important to take especially good care of themselves and create opportunities for recovery.

Helping the baby to fall asleep can reduce crying. In the first three months of life, a baby needs another sleep phase after 1–2 hours of being awake. A newborn needs help from parents to calm down or to fall asleep. Crying babies need more help than other babies. The ultimate goal is to support the baby in such a way that it gradually learns to calm itself better. This is a demanding task for parents.

We recommend that you contact a «beni» contact point. Information about the «beni» contact point and other counselling centres and services in your region can be found under the button Counselling. The staff at the «beni» contact point can help you find your individual support. The midwife is often an ideal contact person during pregnancy and in the first weeks with the baby. Mother-father counselling services can help you build a suitable support network and support you in reading your baby.

Please do not worry: All female staff at the counselling centres are bound by confidentiality. Whatever you confide to these professionals will be treated confidentially.

For most counselling centres, you will incur no costs or only very small costs if you make use of conversations, help and support. The «beni» contact point is usually free of charge for you.

EPDS questionnaire (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale)