Paediatricians say crying, night waking and many bouts of fussiness are normal in early infancy, while warning parents against unproven treatments and urging prompt help for red-flag symptoms.
In the earliest months of life, a great deal of uncertainty can feel normal for parents. Babies cry, sleep in short stretches and change quickly, while social media offers a stream of advice that is often inconsistent or commercially driven. In a recent explanation published by the Dutch newspaper BD, paediatrician Ineke de Kruijff said the first 1,000 days matter enormously because babies are learning to eat, drink, crawl, walk and talk, while their organs and immune systems are still developing.
Crying is one of the biggest sources of worry. De Kruijff said many babies begin crying more regularly after the newborn period, with a peak at around four to six weeks before things gradually settle. She said some infants cry heavily from the end of the first week until about eight weeks, and that this does not always point to illness. The Cleveland Clinic and MedlinePlus both note that crying is a baby’s main way of signalling hunger, fatigue, discomfort, illness or overstimulation, but that persistent crying can also be part of normal development.
According to De Kruijff, a medical explanation is found in only a small minority of cases. She said parents should first focus on getting through the crying spell, asking for help and making sure they can rest. She also warned against leaving a baby to cry for long periods. Babies, she said, cannot be spoiled by being comforted, although a brief cry while a parent uses the bathroom or settles a child to sleep is not unusual. Health experts at the Cleveland Clinic and the American Academy of Pediatrics likewise advise parents to respond promptly, check basic needs such as hunger, a wet nappy or temperature discomfort, and keep stimulation low when a baby is distressed.
De Kruijff was especially sceptical of popular online fixes. She said parents should not be persuaded by claims that gripe drops, tongue-tie division, reflux medicine or special formula will solve the problem in a healthy baby that is growing well. That caution fits with broader guidance from paediatric sources, which note that colic and other crying spells often improve with time rather than a quick remedy. For families, the practical response is usually less about finding a miracle treatment and more about rotating soothing methods, sharing the load and knowing when to seek help.
She also drew a clear distinction between eczema and cow’s milk allergy. In her view, they are not the same condition: eczema is a skin-barrier problem, while milk allergy is an immune reaction to proteins in cow’s milk. That distinction matters because a small number of babies with eczema later develop a food allergy, as other paediatric references also note. De Kruijff said babies with eczema still need skin treatment, but parents should not cut out milk on their own. Instead, she advised continuing to offer milk by mouth and introducing peanut and egg around four months to support tolerance.
Tongue-tie was another issue she addressed cautiously. De Kruijff said many parents are told a tight tongue frenulum explains crying, restlessness or wind, but there is no solid scientific proof that a short frenulum causes those complaints or that clipping it helps in those cases. The Cleveland Clinic says tongue-tie can affect breastfeeding if the tongue cannot move properly, but that assessment should focus on function rather than appearance alone. In practice, that means a breastfeeding difficulty may justify specialist support, but not every fussy baby needs a procedure.
When it comes to fever, De Kruijff advised immediate medical assessment for any baby younger than three months with a temperature of 38C or higher. For older babies, she said paracetamol may help if they are miserable, sleepy and feeding poorly, or if they are in pain after immunisations or teething. She added that fever itself is part of the body’s response to infection and does not always need to be suppressed, as long as the child remains alert and drinks well. Parents should seek medical help if a baby seems floppy, pale, hard to wake, breathes badly, refuses feeds or simply does not seem right.
Sleep, meanwhile, was presented as a matter of patience rather than a defect to fix. De Kruijff said babies are not born with a night-time rhythm and wake often because their sleep cycles are short. She said most families should expect that longer stretches of sleep take time, with many babies not settling into a more predictable pattern until around their first birthday. That may not comfort exhausted parents in the moment, but it does set a realistic expectation: frequent waking is normal, and it usually improves gradually.
She gave similar advice after a fall. If a baby cries straight away, stays alert and behaves as usual, parents can watch and wait. But if the child becomes sleepy, difficult to wake, vomits repeatedly or starts acting differently, De Kruijff said they should call a doctor. Her message throughout was consistent: trust your judgement, comfort your baby, and seek medical advice when behaviour changes or something does not feel right.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
