Witching Hour(s)??

Ljohn43 · February 2016

is anyone else having trouble with baby at a certain time of the day? He will be perfect all day then around 6pm-12am, he's inconsolable (except for nursing). It's sad bc this is when my husband gets off of work so he doesn't get to enjoy being with the baby.

Anyone have any solutions for this besides nonstop feeding?

krrpe99 · February 2016

I don't have any solutions (besides the constant walk and bounce,) but I wish I did. Ours is from 5-7pm, also just in time for DH to deal with. I feel bad for him as well.
Does anyone know how long it takes to grow out of this phase?

ByeByeSpotts · February 2016

Our doctor says it last for 3 months :-/

danasphillips · February 2016

Yes. Evening SUCKS if she isn't napping or gets even slightly overstimulated or overtired. The days that she takes a good evening nap she goes to bed great. DS was always a nightmare in the evenings too.

Cricket99 · February 2016

Dinner time without fail. Though it seems to be getting better slowly...

Achae · February 2016

Ours is 5-9 pm or so, around 7 I swaddle him and then every hour he's on the boob until I can pat him to sleep. But he has bad gas during the day and screams so the 5-9 is bearable because I know there is an end in sight lol.

MssyMmmy · February 2016

Mine is between 10:00 pm-12:00pm lately. Sometimes 11:00 pm -2:00 am...when I would really really really like to sleep

cali1710 · February 2016

I had this problem when she was about 3 weeks and suddenly it was gone. We just started to get a strict routine going. Sometimes she gets fussy but around 930/10 she is asleep.

fishee333 · February 2016

Yup, ours is between 9-2AM, sometimes ends at 1AM. I'm finally getting used to it and just expect it rather than dread it. Boobs, bouncing, walking, and dancing to music is all that works.

ChrissyD1203 · February 2016

4pm-7pm - dinner time and when my husband is home. bouncing with her on the medicine ball helps about 50% of the other time - the rest of the time, no cure, just wait out the storm. It's worse if she is overtired.

maureenmce · February 2016

Ljohn43 said:

is anyone else having trouble with baby at a certain time of the day? He will be perfect all day then around 6pm-12am, he's inconsolable (except for nursing). It's sad bc this is when my husband gets off of work so he doesn't get to enjoy being with the baby.

Yes! For our LO it's about 8pm until 1 or 2 am. She cluster feeds all evening and reaches peak fussiness around the 1 am feeding, which my husband helps with. He wants to console her and isn't able to. But all day long with me she's fine! And she's fine after that point too. It's sad to see my husband struggle to calm her down.

Hope this phase passes soon!

l4rk · February 2016

My LO can be really fussy from 6 to 11 or so. I would get frustrated because 9 to 11 is my nap time but SO couldn't get her to stop screaming, so I couldn't sleep when I was already the most exhausted. I finally talked him into using the Moby and the past two nights have been quiet. Knock wood! So I suggest trying to wrap your baby during the witching hour.

ETA: Men can be weird about wraps and resistant to their magical powers. I had to tell my SO that the wrap is often the only way I can get her to chill during the day and that's why I wear it so much. Suddenly he was up for giving it a try after days of me suggesting it and him shrugging off the idea. I think I was hitting some male pride hang up where he thought I was saying he couldn't calm her, until I said I had the exact same challenges.

Mamabeagle · February 2016

We started turning down the lights and tv around 6-630 before it starts, to lessen the stimulation for LO. Sometimes I let him nurse nonstop, sometimes DH takes him, and gave him a bath last night which had a calming effect too. He still is a dick during the time period, but it's been a little better.

hailees · February 2016

I was stressing about this for a few days too. For us, I realized she was wanting to nurse for hours on end, then she started sleeping 5-6+ hour stretches!! So now I just roll with it. I'll nurse, burp, bounce, and as soon as she starts fussing again nurse, burp bounce. Once I'm getting worn out we get in bed, side lie nurse and throw on some Netflix, which is relaxing for everyone!

I'm of the mindset that if nursing is what consoles her, then that's what she's need at this moment. I try to remind myself that I'm providing for her during those very exhausting moments. I didn't read all the comments so maybe this was suggested, but you could pump and let DH do a bottle during this time! Maybe that would give you a break and him some bonding time.

BarrettJ89 · February 2016

My LO has colic. We are finally getting better during the day, but she starts gearing up at 9 pm (when toddler brother goes to bed). She will fuss easily from 9 pm to 12 am, but has gone as far as 4 am on a couple occasions. Those were not good nights... or the days to follow.

maeg66 · February 2016

Yes! My little man is almost 8 weeks and is fussy from 8-11 usually. Sometimes nursing doesn't even help, he will suck and then flip out right away. I find that giving him a bath with calming soap and rocking him helps.

MissMheMhe · February 2016

Same here! 7 weeks old. Usually starts between 9-7pm and lasts anywhere from 11pm-1am. My husband is convinced something is wrong but I keep telling him it's just what babies do! Maybe I'll show him this thread to let him know we aren't the only ones!

bbrownlee1 · February 2016

Yes! Ours is anywhere from 12am to 4am depending on the night.

jrouge12 · February 2016

Yup. Usually from 6-11 pm. Tonight wasn't too bad. I let DD comfort nurse for several hours and we're using white noise in the nursery. Other nights I've ended up in tears as she seems to never sleep and the crying starts and stops.

teachmegs817 · February 2016

DS will get this way 2-3 days of the week around 5-7. Right before that last bottle we give him before he goes down for the night. hes 10w now, but weeks 4-7 were brutal. He was constant fussy, and we had zero routine going for him because he was so unpredictable, on how long he'd go. We were pretty much letting him sleep whenever he would.

mahlod · February 2016

MssyMmmy said:

Mine is between 10:00 pm-12:00pm lately. Sometimes 11:00 pm -2:00 am...when I would really really really like to sleep

Same here.

KimC2010 · February 2016

Mine has been about 4-11, but as of two days ago it starts about 2pm, which was when I was going on walks, but bad weather has kept us inside. I put her in an ergo carrier for walks and a ring sling for around the house. I think she REALLY likes her walks.

alisongem · February 2016

@maureenmce that's exactly how it's been for me the last few nights. It's exhausting! She has a cold though so I figured it was from that but maybe not now that I see it's more common than I thought haha. Also, lucky that your hubby tries to help. Mine sleeps through it *eyeroll*

hannahduff3 · February 2016

Wow I can't believe this is a thing! I thought it was just me! Jackson's is around 9-11 or 12

maureenmce · February 2016

@alisongem - Have you tried gripe water? We just got it and it cut our crazy times down to just a couple hours. (Didn't get rid of the cluster feeding though, but I think she's going through a growth spurt.)

Hipshaker · February 2016

It is a thing.

OrangeFox · February 2016

Yeah. The witching "hour" is super overwhelming for me. DH works evenings and I'm home alone with DS1 who is almost 3 and the baby. It's nearly impossible to get dinner, bath and bed done with the baby crying. She's only chill when she's feeding. And DS gets upset that she needs SO much attention all evening. As soon as I get DS to sleep I look around the disaster that is my house and try not to cry. The baby usually calms down around 11 or midnight. I'm ready for this phase to be over.

CaraBoonie · February 2016

9ish to 12ish depending on the night. She always fakes us out and looks like she's going to sleep between 9 and 10, and we always naively believe it might work out...the second we try to put her down it's at least an hour of crying and an hour of nursing before she'll actually go to sleep.

Meg920 · February 2016

We have this too! She usually acts out from 6-10. It never fails to begin the moment I eat dinner... It's tough, but we will make it through this!

alisongem · February 2016

Last night I got her to sleep at 11 and she stayed asleep until 6! I probably shouldn't have, but I let her just keep nursing for like 45 mins and even though my nipples are KILLING ME it's the best sleep I've gotten since this started! She did the fake out thing around 10 though like @CaraBoonie mentioned. I read somewhere that it takes infants 20 mins to actually fall asleep so I won't put her down until she's had her eyes closed for at least 20 minutes.

Ebiejay · February 2016

Google "Period of Purple Crying".
It's basically developmentally normal for babies to cry more frequently between 2 weeks and 3-4 months, often for no reason. It's usually more common at evenings/nights.

Our little man fusses and cries a lot more in the evening, usually 5-9ish, sometimes later. We have to just see what works for him at the time, whether it's to comfort nurse, skin to skin cuddles, swaddling, rocking, pacifier. We're lucky though, he's not too bad.

l4rk · February 2016

alisongem said:

Last night I got her to sleep at 11 and she stayed asleep until 6! I probably shouldn't have, but I let her just keep nursing for like 45 mins and even though my nipples are KILLING ME it's the best sleep I've gotten since this started! She did the fake out thing around 10 though like @CaraBoonie mentioned. I read somewhere that it takes infants 20 mins to actually fall asleep so I won't put her down until she's had her eyes closed for at least 20 minutes.

I read this too. Then I learned that with my baby girl, she is most likely to stay asleep if I put her down the same minute she's out. She fusses and squirms in the light sleep but doesn't usually wake up. So, if waiting doesn't work, also try not waiting. :-)

walter87 · March 2016

And here I thought my baby hated me for the first month. My husband works nights and sleeps days. She screamed bloody murder all night and is happy as a clam in the morning when he comes home. Meanwhile, I'm in tears and resenting that he gets to spend time with her when she isn't being an azzhole.
Her schedule finally flipped 1-2wks ago (she's 6wks now). She fusses and screams afternoon-evening and sleeps 4-8hr during the night. My husband can finally bear witness to the agony and gives me a break. Validation!

MamaHolland · March 2016

Mine used to be from 10pm - 3am but then she figured out day & night now it's from 7pm - 10pm but that's starting to disappear. They are either gassy, overstimulated, hungry or all of the above. I used to think "there's no way she could be hungry again?!?? Something else must be wrong with her" nope she was hungry! She wanted to feed like every hour/hour & a half. So I just try to be mentally ready to breastfeed her back to back & comfort her. I give a dose of mylicon in early afternoon to keep gas from building up & we dim the lights & quiet down.

PedsIsHardcore · March 2016

I was told from 3pm to 11pm is the Arsenic Hours. Turn of the century many moms ended up trying to drug their babies to get them to stop crying which resulted in many babies dying from arsenic poisoning. Or so my mom told me.

We we have some issues around 6pm to 11pm but usually at 8pm we start turning the lights down and things off.

rlafleur86 · March 2016

I have no suggestions but just know you are not alone. That is exactly when my l.o. has her witching hour. And I have also begun feeling bad for my DH. Luckily, he doesn't seem to mind. Hang in there, I keep hearing it gets easier!

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