Baby Won't Stop Crying: 5 Things to Try Right Now

Rhythmic movement is one of the most consistently effective colic interventions and there's a straightforward reason: it replicates what the womb felt like. The specific type of motion matters less than its consistency and rhythm. What tends to work:

• Being carried and walked — particularly upright, with pressure on the abdomen
• Car journeys (the vibration and white noise combination is often remarkably effective)
• Sitting on a running tumble dryer while holding the baby — vibration plus white noise
• A baby swing or bouncer, particularly if it mimics the pace of walking

The motion needs to continue to keep working. The moment you stop, a baby in a colic episode will often resume crying. This is exhausting. Tag-team with your partner, a family member, anyone.

Loud white noise — at a level comparable to a vacuum cleaner — is one of the better-evidenced comfort measures for colicky crying. The mechanism is thought to involve the same calming effect as the noisy intrauterine environment. Apps and YouTube have hours of white noise; a hairdryer held at a distance works in the immediate term.

The volume matters. Gentle nature sounds are less effective than proper white noise at a reasonable volume. This initially feels counterintuitive — adding noise to a screaming situation — but it often works where quietness doesn't.

Some babies are calmed by specific holds that put gentle pressure on the abdomen. Two worth trying:

The tiger-in-the-tree hold: lay the baby face-down along your forearm, their cheek resting in your hand, legs straddling either side of your elbow. Walk while holding this position. The abdominal pressure and the motion together are often effective.

The football hold: hold the baby face-down on your forearm with their head at your elbow and their legs straddling your hand. Supports the abdomen directly. Some parents find gentle bouncing or rocking in this position works when upright positions don't.

Worth also trying: a warm bath (if you can manage it at the right moment), or a warm flannel on the abdomen while the baby is held upright.

If you're breastfeeding, colic doesn't reliably improve with maternal diet changes — the evidence on this is weak. However, if your baby seems particularly gassy or uncomfortable after feeds, a latch and positioning check is worth having. A baby who is taking in significant air while feeding will be more uncomfortable.

If you're formula feeding, the evidence for switching to a 'comfort' or partially hydrolysed formula is modest but real for some babies — ask your health visitor before switching rather than trialling multiple formulas, as unnecessary switching can disrupt feeding.

Whatever you're feeding, winding thoroughly after each feed — more than you think is necessary — is worth doing during a colicky period.

This is not a last resort. It is a legitimate intervention and this guide would be irresponsible if it didn't include it clearly.

If you are overwhelmed, exhausted, or beginning to feel desperate — put your baby in their cot on their back and leave the room for five minutes. A baby who cries for five minutes alone in a safe space is not harmed. A parent who reaches breaking point without taking a break can be.

Shaken baby syndrome most commonly occurs during colic episodes when a parent or carer is pushed beyond their limit. The NHS and the NSPCC both specifically recommend putting the baby down safely and leaving the room as a colic strategy — not just for the baby's sake, but for yours.