Every parent loves to watch their little one to be happy and playful, but suddenly around early evening your happy little baby turns very restless and won’t stop crying!! And you just can’t figure out why!?
You tried everything thing which works for him otherwise, walking, singing, feeding! But nothing seems to work, sounds familiar??
As a new parent in this situation, the first advice you would get is “Maybe Baby is colic!”
But if baby is colic why would he cry at the same time everyday and not any other time!Well this is what we call WITCHING HOUR.
What is witching hour?
The simplest way to explain it would be, baby crying inconsolably around same time everyday! Mostly it could happen during early evenings!
Remember someone telling you, “Pata nahi kyon Sham hote hi rone lagta hai” that could be witching hour for the baby.
What causes this?
Their could be many reasons behind it, but some of the common reasons are,
1. Overstimulation
In evening we turn on the lights, start preparing for dinner, some one at home will listen to news, returning from work picking up the baby talking and playing with them. This all could be very overwhelming for a baby!
2. Tired baby
Over stimulation could lead to release a stress hormone called cortisol, which makes harder for babies to calm down & they get tired, which makes it harder for them to go to sleep.
3. Hunger
If mother is exclusively breast feeding throughout the day, in evening there is a possibility that milk supply lowers down, as a new borns are tend to feed frequently.
4. Colic
It’s hard to differentiate weather baby is colic or just sensitive and having a witching hour. To help with this we can go with the “Rule Of Three”
This witching hour could be very tiring and frustrating for parents, they feel so helpless! What can we do in this situation?
Acceptance: Accept the fact that this hour is gonna be hard for you and your baby and prepare for it before hand.
Self care: you know around what time baby gets fussy! Make sure you ate well before that and you are comfortable enough to calm your baby!
Bathing or walking: Give baby a gentle massage and give him a bath, this could help him calm. Go out for a walk!
Help: please don’t hesitate to ask for help! Take turns, this will help you calm down a little bit.
Witching hour could be very frustrating for new parents! Remember to stay calm!
When little people are overwhelmed with big emotions, it’s our job to share our calm! Not to join their chaos!!! _ L.R. Knost
Kool Parenting 