Tired of dealing with a fussy baby all the time? Find helpful solutions from an experienced mom that can help you survive the witching hour.
Witching hour! One of the most scariest and hardest times with a newborn. When I became a mom for the very first time, I would always dread the nights.
Mostly later evening, my daughter would be really fussy, cry a lot and there was no way I was able to soothe her. It was a difficult time, and I would often feel extremely helpless.
Luckily, I had my mom with me for the first few weeks and as she was experienced, she would help me stay calm and try and handle the situation better.
Although there is no one magic pill to surviving the witching hour with infants, there were a few techniques that were successful in calming my daughter.
I would use a mix of these techniques depending on my own mom instincts and these helped me survive those dreadful and scary hours.
If you are in the same boat and struggling with your newborn, then keep reading this and find a complete guide starting with what is the witching hour, why does it happen and how can you survive it.
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Also, shop some of my best baby products must-haves that were indispensable to me in those early days with my newborn.
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6 Tips to survive the witching hour with newborns without losing your mind
What is the witching hour baby?
The witching hour is described as normal fussy periods that almost all babies go through. It usually starts when your baby turns 2 to 4 weeks old and last till they are 3 to 4 months old.
It happens around the same time every day and most frequently occurs in the late afternoon and evening hours. The babies during this time can stay fussy anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours sometimes.
Why does my baby have a witching hour?
Although there is no one reason for the crying or fussiness of the baby during the witching hour. But it could be a set of things as below.
- Babies who cry for a long time can be colicky
- Your baby could be overtired from the day
- Due to hunger if your milk supply is low
- Overstimulated due to the change in environment
- Due to gas or tummy problems
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How do I deal with my baby's witching hour?
Newborns crying continuously can be very exhausting for parents. Try out a mix of these simple tricks that were very helpful in pacifying my daughter.
1. Set an earlier bedtime for the baby
When my daughter was a newborn, I use to put her to bed at around 6:30 PM. Sounds crazy but after a series of nights when the witching hour was at its peak, I found that the days my daughter slept early were not that bad.
Being overtired can take a toll on us, imagine what it would do to newborns? Experiment with different betimes with your newborn and also make sure that you go to bed with them. It might not sound the best, but it can definitely help you deal with the withing hour crankiness in your little ones.
2. Try different soothing techniques with the baby
Soothing techniques might or might not work on your little one. Hence, it is important to have a few on your arm ready to be tried. Try these different soothing techniques with your baby which might help them calm down.
- Walk with your infant
- Hold your infant
- Swaddle
- Sind a lullaby
- Massage your baby
- Bounce your baby on an exercise ball
- Massage
- Rocking my baby helped me many times!
These techniques might not be successful all the time but it’s important to try them out to see what works best with your infant.
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3. Hold your baby during that time
Sometimes holding or wearing your baby can really help calm them down. They can feel a sense of security while being close to their mom and that can really help decrease the fussiness.
I love carrying my baby in this Boba wrap that helped me carry my daughter without straining my back. Also, these Moby wrap carriers for infants are really good.
4. Shift duties with your partner
If the witching hour continues for a really long time, make sure to keep switching with your partner. Sharing the load can help you recharge and also make you more patient towards handling the situation better.
5. Keep the baby in a familiar setting
Too many changes in the surrounding can often overstimulate your baby and that can make him crankier. Try and maintain the same routine and environment during those early few months.
Sometimes using white noise can also help pacify your baby. Also maintaining a familiar nighttime routine like dimming the light, breastfeeding your baby while feeding can help your infant stay calm as they can easily familiarize with the situation.
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6. Relax yourself
Lastly, it’s important to really stay calm. Your baby can easily sense stress in your body and if you’re not calm then your little one will feel stressed too.
Sometimes, just accepting the situation and dealing with it in a positive manner really helped me calm my daughter sooner than usual. Hence just stay calm and have patience!
Remember, what works today might not work tomorrow with your little one. When it comes to your baby it is important to follow your mom instincts and see what works best at what times with your baby and use them accordingly.
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