The word Period is important because it tells parents that it is only temporary and will come to an end.” “The acronym PURPLE is used to describe specific characteristics of an infant's crying during this phase and let parents and caregivers know that what they are experiencing is indeed normal and, although frustrating, is simply a phase in their child's development that will pass. If you haven’t heard of the Period of Purple Crying, then that could also explain what is happening around this age! This time period will start around 2-3 weeks, peak around 6 weeks and fully resolve between 3-4 months. Some research suggests that it is your baby’s way of “letting out steam” or getting out their extra energy from the day. This is why trying to get all of their burps out is so helpful! Serotonin is thought to increase the contractions in the digestive tract and without melatonin (which newborns do not produce yet) to relax the gut, they experience the intestinal cramping making them more uncomfortable in the late evening hours.

So the thought is that by misinterpreting the cues, babies digestive systems are being overloaded all day, it catches up to them during the later evening hours, and you have a miserable baby on your hands.Ī lot of digestion happens later in the day, while serotonin is also higher which is produced in the gut. Unfortunately, the misunderstanding of these cues leaves the well-intentioned parent responding to their unsettled baby with more food, often referred to as cluster feeding. When in actual fact a baby root to suck for comfort too as sucking relaxes them, ‘turning on’ the digestive system enabling it to work advantageously. The rooting to suck reflex is another cue that is mistaught, with parents largely learning it is only a hunger cue. However, after researching the witching hour, I discovered that cluster feeding can actually make it worse, not better!Īccording to this blog, “ Unfortunately one of the Six-Wind-Cues is currently being misinterpreted and taught as hunger a cue – the mouth making a chewing motion while poking out the tongue. Often times, parents think that cluster feeding needs to happen during this time. Is this period of time “normal” or “common”? I’m going to make an argument here that the witching hour gets tossed around as something that is “normal” but is actually just common and can maybe be avoided entirely. They are just generally unsettled and unhappy. What usually works for calming them during other times of the day, does not work well during this time, if at all! It is an extremely fussy time somewhere in the late evening, like from 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm. This is the time when an otherwise happy or content baby loses their mind, for lack of a better description. Witching hour baby 3 am (or other times?).If this is blog is something you’ve come across because you’ve got a screaming baby in your lap, then let’s dive into it!

It is very easy for them to get overwhelmed! Cue the baby witching hour. So what is the baby witching hour and why is it so difficult for babies and parents?īecause our babies are so new and are neurologically immature, there is a limit to how much stimulation they can handle during the day. If you have recently had a newborn in the house, this witching hour baby time period may feel all too familiar! Even if you haven’t had a newborn recently, you may still be scarred by the witching hour.