Witching Hour
Is there a certain time of day with your baby that you just dred? If you have a baby who consistently gets fussy in the evenings, then I’m here to teach you all about “the witching hour”.
What is the witching hour?
The witching hour is a time in the evening, generally between 5 pm and midnight or so, where your baby is much fussier than normal. Mostly affecting newborns, if often begins between weeks two or three, peaks around week six, then comes to an end around the three to four month mark or so.
There are a few reasons for why the witching hour happens in the evening vs. another time in the day:
Your baby is tired! There has been a lot going on during the day and at the end of the day is the hustle and bustle of your partner coming home, other children getting off school, making dinner, getting ready for bedtime, etc. Little ones are so good at picking up on stress and extra stimulation.
They still need short wake windows. Your baby is still young and likely still needs short wake windows of 60-90 minutes. However, as the day goes on and they have had a few naps, the sleep pressure isn’t quite as high, which can make it more difficult for them to settle down for a nap, resulting in overtiredness and crankiness
Prolactin is lowest in the afternoon. If you are breastfeeding, prolactin is lowest in late afternoon or early evening. This means your baby might be hungry and your supply may not be as bountiful as it is overnight or in the morning.
So, how do you know if it’s “the witching hour” instead of something more serious or “colic”? With witching hour, you’ll notice the fussiness occurring at a pretty predictable time. While it can be intense, you can usually find something that will soothe your baby (at least for a while). During witching hour, you baby won’t appear to be in pain, necessarily, but they will appear to be very grumpy and unhappy.
Take some deep breaths mama! The good news is, this is fairly common in babies and they DO grow out of it. It will be tough but it won’t last forever.
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