11-Week Old Cries At Night?

Question

For the last couple of nights, my 11-week old has been getting really cranky and fussy right before her usual bedtime. She cries really hard, even after she has been fed, burped, changed, etc. I just hold her, and eventually (maybe after 10-15 minutes), she'll fall asleep? Is she just having evening fussies? You know, when a baby just needs to unwind from her day? Or is she in pain or something?

Answer 1

With my son we noticed that around 11-12 weeks that his bedtime moved earlier.  We adjusted his bedtime according to when he was tired (between 7-8pm).  Amazingly, he started sleeping in longer stretches with the earlier bedtime because he was getting overtired when we were trying to put him to bed later.  My suggestion would be to put your daughbter to bed when she's tired and not try to keep her up because you think her bedtime should be at a certain time.  My son goes to bed anytime between 6-7pm now.  It's sometimes a pain, but he sleeps 12-13 hours all night and is a happy baby.  

Answer 2

If she's in pain she'll give you some clue to it, like scrunching up her legs into her tummy and so forth.

Both my daughters had a bit of evening fussyness, (one much more than the other) it's just something you have to ride out and it won't last forever.

Good luck!

Answer 3

She could be over-tired, Try giving her a warm bath before bed, this will help to relax her.  

Answer 4

Babies don't cry to unwind. They cry, because they need something. Is she showing signs of being tired before her usual bedtime? She might be overtired. Babies don't understand why they feel so bad (because they are tired) and rather than just going to sleep, they get upset and want you to "fix" it. Could she be hungry.. have gas? Have you tried rocking and singing?