Excessive crying in your baby

There are days when the crying takes over everything. You rock. You feed. You check the diaper. You walk around. You try calm, noise, silence, swaddling, or not swaddling. And yet your baby keeps crying.

Sometimes hours a day. Maybe you hear: “It’s part of it.” “All babies cry.” “It will be over in a few months.” But what if it no longer feels like ‘normal crying’? What if it feels like survival?

When do we speak of excessive crying?

Every baby cries. That is communication. But with excessive crying, you often see that the crying is hard to soothe, that there is a lot of tension in the little body, and that it is present for long periods daily. Parents become exhausted and lose their sense of control.

  • Crying that is difficult to soothe
  • A lot of tension in the little body
  • Overstretching or restlessness
  • Hours of crying daily
  • Parents feeling powerless
  • Sleep deprivation and overstimulation
  • Tension around feeding or sleeping
  • A feeling of “survival”

Important to know: Excessive crying is not a failure of the parents. And it is rarely “just a phase” without something underlying it.

What could be involved?

Excessive crying often has multiple layers. Sometimes there is physical discomfort, sometimes it is mainly sensory processing or regulation, and often it is a combination. That is why I always look at the whole story.

  • Overstimulation
  • Regulation difficulties
  • Tension in the nervous system
  • A vulnerable start (for example, prematurity)
  • Reflux or other physical discomfort
  • Imbalance in day and night rhythm
  • Many changes or busy days
  • Tension around sleeping or feeding

Coaching for excessive crying

In my guidance, we look together at what your baby's crying is trying to tell you. When does the tension arise? What happens in the little body? And how can you support safety and regulation in a way that suits your baby?

Analysis

We look at your days, triggers, and patterns. Where does it escalate? Where does it ease?

Practical steps

You will receive concrete tools for moments of calm, stimulus processing, and regulation.

Tailored plan

No standard checklists, but an approach tailored to your baby, your rhythm, and your capacity.

You don’t have to carry this alone. Excessive crying can undermine your confidence and exhaust you. Guidance does not mean you are doing it wrong. It means you choose peace and safety, for your baby and for yourself.

My background

I am a neonatology nurse with 28 years of experience caring for newborns and their parents. I have given lectures on excessive crying during the Birth Care Conference at the RAI, and provided training for maternity nurses, pediatric nurses, and youth nurses (consultation bureau).

In addition, I have been involved in setting up a crying baby clinic in the Amsterdam region. My guidance is based on years of practical experience, knowledge of the newborn nervous system, and an integrated view of regulation.

Would you like to gain more insight yourself first?

Sometimes it helps just to better understand what is happening in your baby's body and nervous system. In my e-books, I clearly and practically explain how to recognize and support unrest and the crying hour.

E-book: Understand your baby's unrest

Practical explanation about colic and reflux. Including concrete tips you can apply immediately.

 

View e-book (€9.95)

E-book: The crying hour explained

What happens during the crying hour? Why does soothing sometimes seem ineffective? And what can you actually do.

View e-book (€14.95)

Are you unsure if an e-book is enough? You can always opt for personal guidance.