If you’ve ever found yourself pacing the house at midnight with a crying baby in your arms, you’ve probably searched for one answer: How do I make the crying stop?

Much research and clinical advice has focused on that exact question. Scientists have tested probiotics, feeding approaches, soothing techniques, and other interventions designed to reduce infant crying. But there is another important question that often receives less attention: What happens to parents during this experience?

In a recent systematic review (Bilgin et al., 2026), my colleagues and I examined whether interventions used for excessive infant crying also improve outcomes for parents. Rather than focusing solely on whether babies cry less, we asked whether these interventions help parents feel less stressed, less anxious, and better able to cope.

The answer matters because excessive infant crying is not just challenging for babies. It can be profoundly difficult for parents as well.

The Hidden Impact of Excessive Crying

The first months after birth are already a time of enormous adjustment. Parents are often coping with sleep deprivation, physical recovery, changes in identity, and new responsibilities. When a baby cries frequently and is difficult to soothe, these challenges can become even more intense.

Parents of excessively crying infants often report feeling overwhelmed, helpless, frustrated, and worried that something may be wrong with their baby. Many also worry that they are somehow failing as parents.

Yet excessive crying is common. Crying typically peaks during the first few months of life (Wolke, Bilgin, & Samara, 2017) and, for many infants, occurs despite sensitive and responsive caregiving. Unfortunately, parents do not always receive reassurance about this reality.

Looking at Parent Outcomes

Our review brought together evidence from 29 studies involving more than 2,500 families. The studies evaluated a range of interventions, including parent-focused educational programmes and infant-focused approaches such as probiotics.

What interested us most was whether these interventions improved parental wellbeing.

We found that interventions designed to educate and support parents were particularly beneficial. Parents who received information and support reported lower levels of stress and anxiety than those who did not.

These programmes typically provided reassurance about normal infant development, information about crying patterns, practical coping strategies, and guidance on managing parental stress. In other words, they did more than address crying; they addressed the parental experience of crying.

Why Information Can Be Powerful

At first glance, it may seem surprising that education could make such a difference.

But information can change how parents interpret their baby’s behaviour. Without reassurance, persistent crying can easily be interpreted as a sign that something is seriously wrong or that a parent is doing something incorrectly.

When parents understand that crying often peaks in early infancy and that excessive crying is not necessarily a sign of poor parenting, the experience can become more manageable. The crying itself may not disappear immediately, but parents often feel better equipped to cope with it.

This highlights an important distinction: Reducing crying is not the only meaningful outcome. Helping parents feel less distressed is valuable in its own right.

Supporting Parents Is Not Secondary

One of the strongest messages emerging from our review is that parent wellbeing should not be treated as a secondary outcome.

When healthcare professionals meet families struggling with excessive infant crying, the focus naturally falls on the baby. Yet parents themselves may require support, reassurance, and practical guidance. Interventions that acknowledge parental experiences can help reduce feelings of isolation and self-blame while improving confidence and coping.

The Bottom Line

Parents frequently seek help because they want the crying to stop. But “How can I get through this difficult period?” may be an equally important question.

Our findings suggest that interventions providing reassurance, practical guidance, and support for parents’ emotional wellbeing can help answer that question, reducing stress and anxiety while improving coping. Perhaps the most important message for parents is this: A crying baby does not mean you are doing anything wrong, and you do not have to get through it alone.