Last update: October 2026
It’s 7:30 in the evening. Your baby has been fed, changed, burped, held, walked around the room and offered another feed just in case.
Nothing works for more than two minutes.
The crying sounds intense enough that you start wondering whether something is actually wrong.
Then you search “purple crying vs colic” and somehow end up with two terms that seem to describe exactly what is happening.
They overlap, but PURPLE crying and colic are not the same thing. One describes a common developmental pattern of infant crying. The other describes a pattern of excessive, difficult-to-explain crying that can be more persistent and disruptive.
Understanding the difference can make those long evenings a little less mysterious.
First: what is PURPLE crying?
PURPLE crying is a term used to describe a normal developmental period when a healthy baby may cry more intensely and be harder to soothe.
The word PURPLE is an acronym:
- P — Peak of crying: crying often increases during the first weeks and commonly peaks around 6–8 weeks.
- U — Unexpected: crying can begin suddenly, even when everything seemed fine a moment ago.
- R — Resists soothing: the things that usually work may not work reliably.
- P — Pain-like face: babies can look as though they are in pain even when there is no identifiable painful condition.
- L — Long-lasting: crying episodes can last much longer than parents expect.
- E — Evening: crying is often more intense in the late afternoon and evening.
And no, “purple” does not mean your baby actually turns purple. It’s simply an acronym used to describe the pattern.
This connects closely with what we have already explored about [Why newborns cry more in the evening] and why their immature nervous systems can become harder to regulate as the day goes on.
PURPLE crying is essentially a way of saying:
This baby is going through a particularly intense phase of normal infant crying.
It does not mean you have discovered a new medical diagnosis.
So what is colic?
Colic is a term used when an otherwise healthy infant has recurrent, prolonged periods of crying or fussing that are difficult to explain and difficult to soothe.
The classic description, often called the “rule of threes,” is crying for around:
| Classic colic pattern | What it means |
|---|---|
| 3 hours or more | of crying in a day |
| 3 days or more | each week |
| 3 weeks or longer | as part of the pattern |
That definition comes from the older clinical description of colic. Modern definitions are somewhat broader and focus more on the pattern and persistence of excessive crying rather than requiring an exact number of hours.
Colic usually begins in the first few weeks of life and tends to improve as babies mature.
So if your baby has one spectacularly difficult evening, that doesn’t automatically mean colic.
And if your baby cries frequently in the evening, that doesn’t automatically mean something is medically wrong.
PURPLE crying vs colic: the simplest way to think about it
Here’s the distinction I find most useful:
PURPLE crying describes a developmental period.
Colic describes a pattern of excessive crying.
They’re not completely separate boxes.
A baby experiencing colic may also be going through the normal developmental crying period described by PURPLE. That’s part of why the terminology can feel confusing.
Think of PURPLE crying as describing what infant crying can look like during a particular stage of development, while colic describes when that crying becomes unusually frequent, prolonged or difficult to manage.
Why does crying get so intense around this age?
This is where newborn biology matters.
Crying isn’t simply an alarm system that switches on when something is wrong.
It is also one of the main ways a young baby releases and communicates distress while their nervous system is still learning how to regulate itself.
During the early weeks, babies are taking in enormous amounts of sensory information while having very limited ability to organize it.
By evening, several things can converge:
- accumulated stimulation from the day
- increasing sleep pressure
- frequent feeding
- immature day-night organization
- difficulty transitioning from one state to another
- a nervous system that is still developing its ability to settle
It’s a little like having a computer with a small amount of memory trying to keep too many programs open.
Nothing is necessarily broken. The system is simply easier to overwhelm.
That’s also why a baby can look perfectly comfortable at 10 in the morning and then cry inconsolably at 7 in the evening.
If you’ve noticed that your baby becomes much harder to settle after a certain time of day, that’s very much part of the pattern we’ve already discussed in [Why Some Newborns Cry More Than Others] and [The Biology of Why Newborns Get Overtired So Fast].
That is also why this article belongs inside both the [Newborn Crying Hub] and the [Newborn Sleep Hub]. Crying, feeding, contact and sleep are not separate newborn topics in real life. They constantly run into one another.
Does colic mean the baby is in pain?
Not necessarily.
This is one of the hardest parts for parents.
A colicky baby can have a remarkably convincing “something hurts” expression. Their face may redden, their body may stiffen, their fists may clench and their cry may sound completely different from their usual fussing.
But the appearance of distress doesn’t tell you why the baby is distressed.
Colic itself isn’t a diagnosis of a specific painful disease.
That doesn’t mean pain should be dismissed. It means that persistent crying needs to be interpreted alongside the baby’s overall health and behavior, rather than assuming that every intense cry must be colic.
A baby who is feeding normally, gaining weight, has normal periods of alertness and otherwise appears well is very different from a baby whose crying suddenly changes alongside other concerning symptoms.
How can you tell which one you’re seeing?
There isn’t a perfect home test.
But this framework can help:
| What you’re noticing | More consistent with normal/PURPLE crying | Worth discussing with a doctor |
|---|---|---|
| Crying comes in predictable difficult periods | ✓ | |
| Baby is otherwise well between episodes | ✓ | |
| Crying peaks in the evening | ✓ | |
| Baby is difficult to soothe | ✓ | |
| Crying is frequent and prolonged over many days | Can happen | ✓ |
| Cry suddenly sounds very different | ✓ | |
| Baby seems unwell between crying episodes | ✓ | |
| Poor feeding or markedly fewer wet diapers | ✓ | |
| Fever, breathing difficulty, unusual sleepiness or repeated vomiting | ✓ |
The important point is that “colic” shouldn’t become a reassuring label that stops you looking at the whole baby.
What actually helps during PURPLE crying or colic?
There isn’t one magic technique, partly because the underlying problem isn’t always one thing.
Some babies settle with feeding. Others want to be held upright and walked. Some respond to rhythmic movement or steady background noise. Some eventually need a quiet, dark room because even more stimulation is now too much.
That’s why the approaches we’ve covered in [Why Babies Calm Down When You Hold Them] and [Why Babies Love Movement] or [Why Babies Stop Crying When You Stand Up] can sometimes help — but may not work every time.
And that’s important.
A soothing technique failing does not mean you failed.
Sometimes the baby’s nervous system simply needs time to come back down.
If the crying is making you feel overwhelmed, putting your baby safely in their crib and stepping away for a few minutes is also okay. Never shake a baby, even when the crying feels impossible to stop.
When is crying not something to simply wait out?
This is the part I would never bury under reassurance.
Seek medical advice if your baby’s crying is accompanied by signs that they may be ill, particularly if there is:
- fever in a young infant
- difficulty breathing
- unusual sleepiness or difficulty waking
- poor feeding
- repeated or concerning vomiting
- markedly fewer wet diapers
- a swollen abdomen
- a seizure
- a sudden, unusual or markedly different cry
- a baby who simply looks or behaves significantly different from usual
If your instincts are telling you that this isn’t your baby’s normal crying, it’s reasonable to have them assessed.
The fact that babies commonly cry a lot does not mean every episode should automatically be attributed to PURPLE crying or colic.
FAQ: Purple crying vs colic
Is PURPLE crying the same as colic?
No. They overlap, but they describe different things. PURPLE crying describes a developmental pattern of intense, difficult-to-soothe crying. Colic refers to excessive, recurrent crying in an otherwise healthy infant.
How long does PURPLE crying last?
The difficult crying period generally begins during the first weeks, often becomes more intense around 6–8 weeks, and gradually improves over the following months.
Does colic mean something is wrong with my baby?
Not necessarily. Colic occurs in otherwise healthy babies and usually resolves with maturation. However, persistent or unusual crying should still be considered alongside other symptoms.
Why does my baby only cry in the evening?
Evening crying may reflect several things coming together: accumulated stimulation, tiredness, feeding demands and immature regulation. It is one of the characteristic features of early infant crying.
Should I keep trying to soothe my baby?
Try the things that normally help, but don’t feel that you have to find the one perfect technique that makes the crying stop. Sometimes your job is simply to keep your baby safe, stay close and allow their nervous system time to settle.
Sources & Further Reading
- NHS — Soothing a crying baby
- HealthyChildren.org (American Academy of Pediatrics) — Colic and crying
- The Period of PURPLE Crying — Official program information
- PubMed — Infant crying and colic research
The reassuring part isn’t that all crying is normal. It isn’t.
It’s that a surprisingly intense amount of crying can be part of normal infant development, particularly during those first couple of months. Knowing the difference between a developmental crying phase and a baby who may actually be unwell gives parents something much more useful than another soothing trick: context.
Note: The information shared in this article is for educational purposes only and reflects personal experience and research. It is not intended as medical advice. If you have concerns about your health or your baby’s health, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
