Is My Baby's Crying Normal? Everything Parents Need to Know About PURPLE Crying

April 8, 2026

If you have a newborn who seems to never stop crying and you’re at a loss as to why and maybe you’re even starting to blame yourself, stop and listen: you are not doing anything wrong.

Inconsolable infant crying is disorienting, disarming, upsetting, and can send you down the rabbit hole for answers, thinking something must be wrong with either you or the baby.

The good news is, there’s rarely anything wrong with either of you.

They call it “PURPLE” crying and here’s everything you need to know about it: why it happens, what it is, and how to get through it.

🔑 Key takeaways

Prolonged, inconsolable crying in newborns is normal and has a name: the PURPLE crying period.
It typically peaks around 2 months and resolves by 3-4 months.
Your baby is not broken. You are not failing. This is developmental.

So is my baby's crying normal?

Most likely, yes.

All healthy newborns go through a period of increased, hard-to-soothe crying in the first few months of life. Pediatric researchers gave this phase a name - PURPLE crying - to help parents understand that what they're experiencing is a predictable, universal stage of infant development, not a medical problem or a parenting failure.

If your baby:

Cries for long stretches with no clear cause
Seems impossible to soothe no matter what you try
Looks like they're in pain even when nothing is physically wrong
Cries most in the late afternoon or evening
Started crying more around 2–3 weeks and it keeps getting worse

…then what you're seeing is very likely the PURPLE crying period.

What does PURPLE stand for?

PURPLE is an acronym developed by pediatric researchers to describe the specific qualities of this crying phase:

P - Peak of crying (gets worse before it gets better, usually peaking around 2 months)
U - Unexpected (starts and stops without warning)
R - Resists soothing (nothing seems to work)
P - Pain-like face (babies look distressed even when they aren't in pain)
L - Long lasting (can go on for hours at a time)
E - Evening (late afternoon and evening tend to be the hardest)

Knowing there's a name for this - and a framework behind it - doesn't make the crying stop. But it can make it feel less alarming and more survivable.

Why does PURPLE crying happen?

PURPLE crying is a normal part of neurological development.

In the first few months of life, a baby's nervous system is still maturing. Their ability to self-soothe, process sensory input, and regulate their own state is extremely limited. The result is sometimes inconsolable crying that has no clear cause and no quick fix.

It is not colic in the traditional sense. It is not reflux. It is not a sign that your baby is sick or that you are doing something wrong.

It is your baby's developing brain doing exactly what it's supposed to do.

What do you do during PURPLE crying?

Check the basics first

When your baby cries, it always makes sense to rule out the obvious:

Are they hungry?
Does the diaper need changing?
Are they too hot or too cold?
Do they need to be burped?
Are they overstimulated?

If you've gone through the list and the crying continues, give yourself permission to stop problem-solving. Sometimes there is no fix - and that is not your fault.

Rotate through soothing strategies

Even if nothing seems to work, gentle soothing is worth cycling through. Different babies respond to different things.

Try:

Motion - rocking, swaying, a gentle car ride, or a baby carrier walk
Sound - white noise, a fan, soft shushing close to the ear
Sucking - a pacifier or feeding if hunger seems possible
Skin-to-skin contact - calming for both baby and parent
A change of scenery - sometimes stepping outside briefly resets the moment

You may not find the one thing that works every time. That's okay. The goal is to stay as calm and present as you can, not to solve the crying perfectly.

Put the baby down safely and take a break

This is the most important thing to know.

If you have done everything you can and the crying is pushing you toward a breaking point, it is safe - and necessary - to place your baby in their crib on their back and walk away for a few minutes.

A few minutes of crying alone will not harm your baby.

Losing your composure under extreme, prolonged stress can.

Take a breath. Step outside. Call someone. Do whatever you need to reset, and then go back. Knowing when to pause is not failure. It is good parenting.

When should I be concerned?

PURPLE crying is normal, but some crying does warrant a call to your pediatrician.

Reach out if your baby:

Has a fever alongside the crying
Is crying in a way that sounds distinctly different or higher-pitched than usual
Is not eating well or seems to be losing weight
Has a hard, distended belly
Is inconsolable and you have a gut feeling something is wrong

Trust your instincts. You know your baby.

A word about your mental health

Prolonged infant crying is one of the leading triggers for postpartum anxiety and depression. If you are feeling rage, despair, disconnection, or dread around the crying, please talk to someone.

Not because something is wrong with you. Because you are human, and this is genuinely hard.

Your OB, midwife, or pediatrician can connect you with support. You don't have to white-knuckle your way through this alone.

Bottom Line

Your baby's crying is most likely normal, and it has a name.

The PURPLE crying period is temporary, universal, and not a reflection of your parenting. It peaks around 2 months and typically resolves by 3-4 months.

Stay as calm as you can. Soothe when you're able. Take breaks when you need to. And ask for help early and often.

A note for the exhausted parent

If you are reading this at 2am with a screaming baby in your arms, we see you.

You are doing something incredibly hard. The fact that you're looking for answers means you care deeply, and that matters more than you know.

If you want real-time support for newborn challenges, postpartum wellness, and the emotional weight of early parenthood, the HeyKiddo App offers developmentally grounded guidance for families in every stage.