Tell us if this sounds familiar: during the day, your baby is a smiley, happy little camper. Then 5 p.m. rolls around and — BAM! — the tears start, and they do. not. stop. If this is your reality right now, you are not alone and you aren’t doing anything wrong.
Tell us if this sounds familiar: during the day, your baby is a smiley, happy little camper. Then 5 p.m. rolls around and — BAM! — the tears start, and they do. not. stop. If this is your reality right now, you are not alone and you aren’t doing anything wrong.
This time when your baby is super fussy and hard to soothe is what’s known as “witching hour” and it’s super common. Despite what the name implies, though, this fussy period often lasts longer than an hour. The good news, though, is that babies do eventually grow out of it… but that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with in the meantime.
5 Strategies to Help During the Next Witching Hour
Break out the yoga ball.
Yoga balls aren’t just a great tool for labor & birth, they are also one of the best tools for navigating witching hour because the bouncing mimics the motion your baby felt in the womb when you were walking around! During the next witching hour, swaddle your baby and bounce on the yoga ball.
Use a bouncer.
While the yoga ball can be true magic, by the end of the day, you may just want a BREAK from holding your baby. This is where a bouncer like the Ergobaby Evolve can be key. They offer your baby the same soothing motion of a yoga ball, but without you needing to hold them. Personally, bouncers were the only way we were able to eat dinner during our babies’ witching hours; we’d eat at the table and gently bounce the bouncer with our foot!
Give your baby a bath.
The sound of running water and the cozy sensory inputs of a bath can be incredibly soothing for an overstimulated baby. You can give your baby a bath in their little newborn tub and keep a warm washcloth over their torso, or even better, you can get in the bath with them and do some skin-to-skin by laying them on your chest. You might find it’s relaxing for the both of you.
Go outside.
Sometimes a change of scenery works wonders for fussy babies and their frazzled parents. Get your stroller or carrier and go for a walk around the block. Added bonus: exposure to sunlight in the early afternoons and late evenings can actually help your baby sleep better at night!
Root out trapped gas.
If you feel like trapped gas is contributing to your baby’s crying, try gently moving your baby’s legs in a pedaling motion or tucking them up toward their stomach. You can also try gently rubbing their stomach in a downward, circular motion.
And remember, ask for help so you’re not the only one handling witching hour. A crying baby is incredibly stressful. If you aren’t having success with any of these strategies or find you just need a break, hand off your baby and take a walk or some time for yourself in a quiet room to decompress.
And know, too, that while witching hour is incredibly common, if you are ever concerned about your baby’s crying, reach out to your pediatrician.
Having a bouncer was one of the only ways we were able to eat dinner during our babies’ witching hours. It was also one of the only ways we were able to take a shower, fold the laundry, and unload the dishwasher.
We love the Ergobaby Evolve 3-in-1 Baby Bouncer because (like all Ergobaby products) it is designed by an orthopedist with ergonomic support in mind. It can also be used well beyond the newborn phase, converting from a newborn lounger to a baby bouncer to a toddler chair with the tap of a foot pedal. It has a washable cover and folds flat so you can take it anywhere.
We loved the Evolve so much, and right now, it’s on sale for 25% off with the code BOUNCERLD25.
