Why does a baby cry at night and in their sleep?
Applies to age: 0–12 months
In short
Newborns wake up at night because they need feeding, and being too hot or too cold may disturb their sleep. Constant crying that cannot be soothed, or crying that sounds different than usual, may be a sign of illness.
What is normal
All claims: international norm
- Crying is the way a baby shows that they need comfort and care.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Crying is your baby's way of telling you they need comfort and care.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
- Newborns wake up at night because they need feeding.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Babies will wake during the night because they need to be fed.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
- Being too hot or too cold may disturb a newborn's sleep.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Being too hot or too cold can also disturb their sleep.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
- Newborns invariably wake up repeatedly at night for the first few months.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Newborn babies invariably wake up repeatedly in the night for the first few months, and disturbed nights can be very hard to cope with.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
- At 3–6 months, some babies may sleep 5–8 hours or longer at night, but not all.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Some babies may sleep for 5 to 8 hours or longer at night, but not all.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
- At 6–12 months, some babies may wake up at night because of teething discomfort or hunger.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Teething discomfort or hunger may wake some babies during the night.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
- Growth spurts, teething and illnesses may affect a baby's sleep.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
And remember, growth spurts, teething and illnesses can all affect how your baby sleeps.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
- Every baby changes their sleep pattern over time.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
All babies change their sleep patterns.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
When to worry
All claims: international norm
- Constant crying that cannot be soothed or distracted from, or crying that sounds different than usual, may be a sign of illness.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
If your baby is crying constantly and you cannot console or distract them, or the cry does not sound like their normal cry, it can be a sign they're ill.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
ER / 112 (Poland)
Some claims: international norm
Immediate medical help needed: international norm
- Needs immediate medical help: the baby has a seizure.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
has a fit (seizure or convulsion)
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
- Needs immediate medical help: the baby's skin, lips or tongue are blue, gray, pale or blotchy.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
has blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue – on brown and black skin this may be easier to see on the palms of their hands or soles of their feet
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
- Needs immediate medical help: the baby is unresponsive, floppy or not waking up as easily as usual.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
is unresponsive, floppy or not waking up as easily as usual
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
- Needs immediate medical help: the baby has difficulty breathing, is breathless or breathes very fast.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
has difficulty breathing (you may notice grunting noises or their stomach sucking under their ribcage), is breathless or breathing very fast
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
- Needs immediate medical help: the baby vomits violently and often.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
is being violently sick a lot (projectile vomiting)
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
- Needs immediate medical help: the baby has a rash that does not fade when pressed.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
has a rash that does not fade when you press it
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
- Needs immediate medical help: the baby has not had a wet diaper in 8 hours.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
has not had a wet nappy in the past 8 hours
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
- Call an ambulance in a situation of immediate danger to life.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
bezpośredniego zagrożenia życia
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [2]
- Call an ambulance also when a sick person's condition suddenly worsens in a way that may lead to harm to health.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
nagłego pogorszenia się stanu osoby chorej, który może prowadzić do uszczerbku na zdrowiu.
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [2]
See a doctor
Some claims: international norm
Urgent medical assessment needed: international norm
- Needs an urgent medical assessment: the baby has signs of feeling unwell, such as no interest in feeding.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Contact your GP or call NHS 111 if they have signs of being unwell, such as a high temperature or they’re not interested in feeding.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
- A sick child reported to a primary care (POZ) clinic should get an appointment on the day of the report, and if that is not possible, at a time agreed with the parent.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Jeśli przyjdziesz chory do przychodni, powinieneś uzyskać wizytę w dniu zgłoszenia.
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [2]
Polish original
Jeśli to niemożliwe - w terminie uzgodnionym z tobą.
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [2]
- POZ clinics are open Monday to Friday, 8:00–18:00.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Placówki POZ działają od poniedziałku do piątku w godzinach: 8:00–18:00.
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [2]
- After the clinic's working hours, night and holiday care (NiŚOZ) is advised in cases such as when symptoms get worse and you cannot wait until morning.
Source: NFZ i Akademia NFZ – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
objawy się nasilą i nie możesz czekać do rana
NFZ i Akademia NFZ · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [3]
- Night and holiday care (NiŚOZ) is open Monday to Friday from 18:00 to 08:00 the next morning.
Source: NFZ i Akademia NFZ – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Poniedziałek – Piątek: 18:00 – 08:00 rano dnia następnego.
NFZ i Akademia NFZ · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [3]
- Night and holiday care (NiŚOZ) is open around the clock on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
Source: NFZ i Akademia NFZ – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Soboty, Niedziele i Święta: całodobowo.
NFZ i Akademia NFZ · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [3]
international norm “International norm” next to a section heading means its claims come from a non-Polish source, because no Polish source in our registry covers this topic. When this applies to only some of the claims, the foreign ones carry the same label next to their source.
Sources
- NHS (nhs.uk, Anglia)
- https://www.nhs.uk/baby/caring-for-a-newborn/soothing-a-crying-baby/
- https://www.nhs.uk/baby/caring-for-a-newborn/helping-your-baby-to-sleep/
License: Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: NHS (nhs.uk, Anglia). Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The summary is ours and is not attributed to the NHS. - Portal Pacjenta (pacjent.gov.pl)
- https://pacjent.gov.pl/aktualnosc/kiedy-wezwac-karetke
- https://pacjent.gov.pl/jak-dziala-podstawowa-opieka-zdrowotna
License: CC BY 3.0 PL. Source: Portal Pacjenta (pacjent.gov.pl). Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original. - NFZ i Akademia NFZLicense: Treści NFZ – wykorzystanie ze wskazaniem źródła, bez obrotu komercyjnego. Source: NFZ i Akademia NFZ. Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original.