So your previously contented baby hits 5pm and suddenly seems besides herself and spends the rest of the evening seemingly initiating you into a game of "why am I still crying?!"...

Welcome to The Witching Hour! 

Fun fact: the reason this period of baby distress has this name, is based on the folklore when certain times of the night were believed to be when the power of witches and supernatural beings are strongest!

Now, it simply refers to the time when babies, any age from around 2 weeks to 4 months old, across the country all appear collectively unsettled and, in your new parent sleep deprivation, it can feel a bit much!  

So, why might your little one be crying at this time everyday?

• Over-stimulation: Days are long and full of new experiences hitting every one of their newborn senses. By early evening, they might just be feeling overwhelmed. Combine that with your partner getting home from work, sleep deprivation from the night before catching up with you, and perhaps older siblings needing attention, and you get a tired, frustrated baby whose only means of letting you know is crying 

• Tiredness: perhaps they've just run out of energy from the day and, as you probably are beginning to flag too, settling calmly for some more sleep, feels harder and takes longer

• Low milk production: prolactin - the milk-making hormone - is at its' lowest in the early evening, so combine a tired baby looking for some dinner, with some slow milk production, and you get a hangry, frustrated new-born

Ideas of how you can help everyone in your household get through this: 

• Create a calm environment where possible - dimmed lighting, no shouting, gentle music etc.

• Keep baby close - babywear in a comfortable, soft sling (I personally love a Close Caboo or similar semi-structured stretchy sling), sit on the sofa with baby on your chest (skin to skin where possible), feed on demand (cluster feeding is perfectly normal and allows you and baby to connect through your feeding relationship)

• Get fresh air - even in the winter as the evenings draw in earlier, try and get out for a walk, even if just around the block. The evening air will help to calm both you and baby or, at the very least, give you both a change of scenery

• A calming bath - not all babies will feel the same but some can go from hysterical to calm smiles as soon as their feet touch the warm water (and I personally can relate to that!)

• Ask for help - I've helped out both friends and family with newborns, knowing that sometimes all a new parent needs is a kind support to enter the scene, transfer some of their calm to baby, and be an extra pair of hands to pace the kitchen floors while the exhausted parents finally sit down to dinner before it gets cold. 

If you're worried your baby is in pain or you feel you've covered every option and he is still increasingly upset in the evenings, feel free to contact a medical professional to explore things further and get some specialised suggestions!

I know if feels overwhelming right now!