Two months old is the peak of crying for most babies. This isn’t a sign that something is wrong. It’s the age when normal, healthy infant crying hits its highest point before gradually tapering off over the next few months. Some babies cry one to two hours a day at this stage, while others cry up to six hours. That range is wide, but it’s all within the spectrum of typical development.
The Crying Peak at Two Months
Infant crying typically begins ramping up around two weeks of age, climbs steadily, and peaks during the second month of life. By months three through five, it starts to decline. Researchers call this the Period of PURPLE Crying, a framework developed to help parents understand that this phase is predictable, temporary, and not caused by bad parenting.
What makes this crying phase so stressful is that much of it seems to come from nowhere. Your baby may cry on and off for no apparent reason, resist soothing, and have their worst episodes in the late afternoon or evening. The crying can start and stop unexpectedly, and even when you’ve fed, changed, and held your baby, the fussing may continue. One to three hours of total daily crying is considered normal at any infant age, but two-month-olds often exceed that.
Common Reasons Your Baby Is Crying
Even though some crying at this age has no identifiable cause, plenty of it does. The most frequent triggers are hunger, tiredness, and overstimulation.
Hunger is the one most parents check first, but crying is actually a late hunger signal. Earlier signs include putting hands to mouth, turning the head toward your breast or bottle (called rooting), lip smacking or licking, and clenched fists. If you can catch these cues before the crying starts, feeding goes more smoothly and your baby stays calmer.
Overstimulation is easy to miss. At one to three months, babies can only handle about one to two hours of wakefulness between naps. That window includes feeding, diaper changes, and any interaction. If your baby has been awake longer than that, the fussiness you’re seeing may simply be exhaustion. Watching the clock and learning your baby’s individual sleepy cues (turning away from you, glazed eyes, yawning) can help you put them down before they cross into overtired territory, which makes both falling asleep and staying calm much harder.
Gas and digestive discomfort are also common culprits. Babies swallow air during feeding, and their digestive systems are still maturing. You may notice your baby pulling their legs up, arching their back, or having a hard, distended belly. Frequent burping during and after feeds, gentle bicycle-leg movements, and holding your baby upright for 15 to 20 minutes after eating can all help.
Reflux and Silent Reflux
Some babies cry excessively because stomach contents flow back into the esophagus, causing discomfort. You’ll often see this as spitting up after feeds, but not always. Silent reflux causes the same irritation without visible spit-up, which makes it harder to identify. Signs include crying that worsens during or after feeding, difficulty settling, and arching away from the bottle or breast. Most infant reflux improves on its own as the muscles at the top of the stomach mature, usually by 12 months. If your baby seems distressed during most feeds or isn’t gaining weight well, that’s worth bringing up with your pediatrician.
When Crying Might Be Colic
If your baby’s crying feels relentless, you may have heard the word colic. The classic definition, known as Wessel’s criteria or the “rule of threes,” describes colic as crying that lasts three or more hours per day, happens three or more days per week, and continues for at least one week, with no obvious medical cause. The crying tends to cluster in the afternoon and evening hours.
Colic isn’t a disease. It’s a label for the extreme end of normal infant crying. About one in five babies meets these criteria. The cause isn’t fully understood, though gut immaturity, temperament, and nervous system development all seem to play a role. The most important thing to know is that colic resolves on its own, typically by three to four months. It doesn’t mean your baby is in pain, and it doesn’t predict future behavioral problems.
Soothing Techniques That Work
A well-studied approach for calming young infants involves five strategies that simulate the sensory environment of the womb. Developed by pediatrician Dr. Harvey Karp, these techniques are especially effective during the first two months:
- Swaddling: Wrapping your baby snugly in a blanket recreates the confined feeling of the uterus. Make sure the hips can move freely and stop swaddling once your baby shows signs of rolling.
- Side or stomach position: Holding your baby on their side or belly against your body can calm them. This is only for soothing while you’re holding them. Always place your baby on their back for sleep.
- Shushing: A loud, steady “shhhh” near your baby’s ear mimics the constant whooshing sound of blood flow they heard in the womb. White noise machines work on the same principle.
- Swinging: Small, gentle, rhythmic movements (not shaking) replicate the motion your baby felt when you walked during pregnancy. Rocking, bouncing on a yoga ball, or a gentle car ride can all help.
- Sucking: Offering a pacifier or allowing your baby to nurse for comfort activates a natural calming reflex.
These techniques tend to work best in combination. Swaddling alone may not do much, but swaddling plus shushing plus gentle rocking often triggers a noticeable calming response. Experiment to find the combination your baby responds to.
Protecting Yourself During This Phase
Weeks of intense crying takes a real toll on parents. Frustration, exhaustion, and feelings of failure are all normal responses to a baby who won’t stop crying despite your best efforts. The single most important safety rule during this period: if you feel overwhelmed, it is always safe to put your baby down in their crib on their back and walk away for five or ten minutes. A baby crying alone in a safe space is not in danger. A baby being held by a parent at their breaking point can be.
Tag-teaming with a partner, family member, or friend matters more now than almost any other stage. Even 30 minutes away from the crying can reset your ability to cope. This phase is temporary, but it doesn’t feel that way when you’re in the middle of it.
Signs That Need Medical Attention
Most crying at two months is normal, but certain symptoms alongside the crying warrant a call to your pediatrician or a trip to the emergency room. A fever in any baby under one month old is always an emergency. At two months, a rectal temperature of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher still needs prompt evaluation.
Other red flags include lethargy (your baby stares into space, won’t smile, barely responds to you, or won’t play at all), poor feeding or sudden refusal to eat, vomiting that’s forceful or green-tinged, a rash with purple or red spots that don’t fade when you press on them, and a noticeably different cry that sounds high-pitched or weak compared to their usual fussing. If your baby is inconsolable for hours with no breaks at all, or if something just feels off to you, trust that instinct and get them checked.