The Witching Hour - What You Need to Know
The Witching Hour. The Period of Purple Crying. A Total Living Nightmare. Okay, we made that last one up, but there are several names for the time of day (usually the evening) when newborns seem to just totally lose it and cry and cry and cry. And no matter what you call it, boy is that time rough!
So what exactly is the Witching Hour and how can you be best prepared to survive it? Read on for more details.
When it comes to babies, the Witching Hour is the time of day (most commonly during the evening hours, anywhere between 5:00pm-10:00pm) when newborns fuss and cry for no discernible reason. Your baby is fed, in a clean diaper, being comforted and having their needs met, yet they still cry. And cry. And cry. These periods of unexplained infant fussiness tend to begin anywhere between weeks 2 and 4 post birth and often peak around weeks 6 through 8. It’s that 6-8 week Witching Hour stretch that can really have new parents scratching their heads, wondering what happened to their sweet, peaceful little baby, and what to do with this cranky, little foundling.
First, know that this is totally developmentally normal. Almost all babies have these periods of unexplained infant fussiness and it does not mean that there is anything wrong with them or that you, the parents, are doing anything wrong.
Pediatric experts don’t know exactly why newborns do this but many guess that it has a lot to do with overstimulation and overtiredness. It can also be compounded by newborns with immature digestive issues who seem to have a lot of uncomfortable gas and periods of cluster feeding in the evening, when babies seem to want to eat constantly. These things create a perfect storm for a fussy, unhappy newborn.
And second, we do have some tips for you to survive the Witching Hour with your sanity intact.
Here a few ways you can help your baby through this time of night and hopefully reduce the amount of crying (for everyone involved):
Reduce Stimulation: Little baby brains can only handle so much stimulation before they can’t take it anymore. Help your newborn avoid this stimulation breakdown by reducing the amount in your home in the evening. Turn the lights down low, turn off the TV blaring the basketball game in the living room or the music in the kitchen, to help create a more calm environment for your baby. And if you expect that your newborn is already overstimulated and just can’t calm down, bring them into the darkest room in your house, turn the white noise up, hold them skin-to-skin with you, and rock rhythmically until they calm down.
Practice the 5 Ss: Our tried and true method to calm a fussy baby is to break out the 5 Ss - swaddle, side-lying hold, sway, shush, and suck. When you swaddle your baby tightly, hold them on their sides (rather than flat on their backs in your arms), sway and rock your body, shush them with some loud white noise, and allow them to suck on a paci (if you’re not using a pacifier, the 4 Ss work well too), these methods all combined together can instantly calm a fussy baby.
Babywear: Especially if you have older kids in the home, the Witching Hour can hit at the most inconvenient time - siblings are getting home from school, it’s dinner time, and you’re exhausted already from taking care of a baby all day - so it can be hard to devote 100% of your time and effort to calming a crying baby. If you need your hands free and your attention elsewhere, practice wearing your baby in a baby carrier during this time. If you can turn some white noise on (or even attach one of those portable, clip-on noise machines to the carrier) and give baby something to suck on, even better.
Change the Environment: Sometimes nothing seems to work when it comes to the Witching Hour. When all of our soothing methods are getting us nowhere, then it’s time to just drastically change the environment. Go outside with your baby. Sometimes the fresh air and change of scenery can instantly calm them. Or run a bath and get them in some water. Again, that change can be enough to jar their brains back to normal.
And one thing to remember, if you feel like you’re losing it too, it’s okay to set your baby down in a safe place and just walk away for a few minutes. All this crying can be really tough. But if you are a stressed out, anxious ball of nerves, it will ulitmately be harder to soothe your baby. They can sense when we’re not calm and that makes it harder for them to be calm too. So take care of yourself first - go outside, take a deep breathe, drop your shoulders, close your eyes. Find a little peace and calm and then try again. Your baby will be okay.
The Witching Hour is one of the least favorite parts of the newborn stage but it is temporary. By 12-16 weeks, it tends to disappear and you get your sweet, happy baby back in the evenings. That still doesn’t make it easy when you’re in the trenches though. So practice some of our helpful tips. And if you need a little more relief, call your postpartum doula. We’re Witching Hour veterans and would be happy to step in.