hi moms! My wonderful son is 3 1/2 weeks old. He's mellow and alert most of the time. Then the sun sets, and he becomes hell on wheels from about 5:30 till about 7 or 8. Oh, the shrieking! Any advice for coping with "the witching hour"? And how long should I expect this to last? He is currently cluster-feeding and shrieking his way through those couple of hours, and seems very uncomfortable even when he calms a bit.
Thanks so much for the advice! I am going to re-read your answers many times in the coming months, I'm sure. So far, the pacifier is his biggest soother. (Don't worry: I'm nursing about 11 times a day, so he's still being well nourished.) Dim lights, music, and me saying "Ahhhh, ahhhh" are other big hits, as is that fabulous Magic Hold you guys taught me.
Our son did this, and we found that he:
a) loved music - instantly calmed him down
b) loved being on my husbands arm, laying on his stomach- in a sense lookind down on the floor.
c) hated to be around a lot of people (family gatherings/mall etc.)
d) loved the car!!!!!
It all passed around 4 months or so...
E.
He is still VERY young... they are still adjusting to daylight/nigh-time....for our daughter who was like that... she had bad gas problems, and it would always seem to bother her more at night. We gave her infant gas drops which helped. Our daughter rarely farted... and I think she had extra "gas" accumulating in her intestines...
There is also something homeopathic called "Hyland's Colic" tabs...BUT, it's NOT only for colic...it's for any gas/indigestion/sleeping upsets in a baby... and helps to calm them. There are no contraindications and it is not habit forming. YOu can look it up online and see reviews. This also helped our daughter.
It will pass though... their internal organs & neurological system are still developing outside the womb... and it causes discomfort... also, maybe something in your breastmilk is making him gassy??? This often happens too.
Mostly, gas causes a LOT of pain in babies... sharp pains. I wouldn't be able to sleep with that either, and I had that after I gave birth. It's sore.
Other than that... he is cluster-feeding now... so that means he is either having a growth-spurt...OR, that he is not getting enough intake....and so by the time night-time comes....he is simply totally hungry & starving. This also happens and had happened with 2-3 of my friends. You should check that he is latching on well and is actually suckling...
But this "witching hour" is one of the rites of passage that we have as Parents. It just happens.
For some babies, they must have absolute silence to calm down. For others, "white noise" helps them. For others... they are simply TOO "over-stimulated" and it gets them upset...hence crying constantly...**in babies, "crying" is ALSO a way to shut-out external stimuli as they TRY to tune it out. So, keep that in mind.
As for how long it lasts... every baby is different. For my daughter it lasted about 6 months.
Whatever you do... do NOT just let him "cry-it-out." He is just a newborn...and crying it out even changes their brain chemistry. And, it will not allow them to "bond" as they should.
Carry him, comfort him, help him cope. They are helpless.... and they need to bond and feel secure.
You could also try and "swaddle" him for bedtime. This helped our daughter too. As an infant, their limbs "flail" and this wakes/disturbs them too... as they cannot control their reflexes yet. It takes time for them to outgrow this.
A great book is: "Secrets Of The Baby Whisperer- how to calm, connect, and communicate with your baby" by Tracy Hogg.
All the best,
Susan
Hi S.,
Are you guys adventuring out a lot? I really kept visitors and activites outside the home limited for the first few months and I found this to make a calm baby.
We did have a few episodes like you've described but they were typically after a stress-ful day. And I don't mean stressful to me, but to the baby.
Being out and about has a TON of things your baby isn't familiar with - light, noises, etc.
Just my 2 cents!
LH
What is his napping schedule like? Maybe he's not sleeping enough during the day and is just tired by this hour.
Also, some infants get "over stimulated" easily, so maybe by the end of the day he has just "had enough". Try going in a dimly lit room and just sit there quietly with him during these hours to see if this helps (maybe you can try reading or signing to him, or just put soft music on).
With my daughter however, it was the opposite at this age - she was "bored", not over stimulated! After a whole day of being at home she got bored, so we would go for a ride or a walk and - tada! She was happy again. hehe
There is a lot of learning on our part as parents at this age, so don't get discouraged and just keep trying different things until you get to know your son! It's a challenge, but it so rewarding once you finally GET IT! LOL Once you finally figure out what they want/need it is a relief too!
Best of luck to you!
you may have heard this already, but The Happiest Baby on the Block. if you haven't already, get the DVD or even better yet, go to a class. chances are you'll find other parents who seem to be going through the same thing you are. yes, you're child is not special, it happens to other great parents as well.
my suggestion is first take a deep breath and relax. the more anxious you are, the baby picks up on and will also be anxious. then, feed on cue. around that time of day is common time to want to cluster feed. he may actually want to eat and that's why he's so fussy. the other thing is to comfort and cradle your baby. but if you need a time out, don't be afraid to put him down in a safe place while you regroup.
you can also try the magic baby hold (link below) or just simply carrying your baby meets so many needs http://normalfed.com/Continuing/wear.html
a little about cluster feeding http://normalfed.com/Continuing/hungry.html
the magic baby hold http://normalfed.com/Continuing/magicbabyhold.pdf
