What can we do to calm our newborn in the evenings?

My 10-week-old daughter is quite restless and cries every evening between 7 and 8 p.m. as if she's fighting sleep. Once she falls asleep, she sleeps until midnight. Is there anything we can do to calm her down?

Your baby is right on track. She's entering that predictable period when infants bubble with excitement over life and then let off steam before settling down for the night. It's almost as if the period of restlessness helps her reorganise everything at the end of the day. Unfortunately, there isn't anything specific you can do to help her get through the trying time except, of course, love her and be patient. To help her settle, make sure she's dry, fed and warm; wrap her up snugly, keeping her hands by her face so she can suck on them to soothe herself. Other tried-and-tested tactics include rocking her, putting her in an infant swing or wearing her in a front/backpack. New research shows that if babies are carried for about two hours during the day, the duration - but not frequency - of their crying spells decreases. Try carrying her around earlier in the day and see if this makes the period of restlessness shorter. Dealing with a crying baby alone can make you tense, which could upset her even more. Let everyone take turns at holding her, helping her to settle. You can expect your baby's restlessness to continue or increase over the next month or so and then wane. It's par for the course - part of the expected course of development of the central nervous system.