Support Your Inner Super Mom
If evenings with your newborn are witchy, make the most of your mornings and afternoons. Try to get some exercise or do something enjoyable or relaxing. If you need an extra hand, dial up your support network and call in the troops to help you with your baby, so you can take care of yourself. Staying focused on your own well-being will help you power through these long nights and before you know it, everyone will be snoozing soundly. The witching hour always passes.
Do you remember the witching hour with your babies? Are you living through it right now? If youve got gripes or grins to share, let us know in the comments section on
How Can I Calm My Baby
Every baby is different. Over time, you will learn what works best to soothe your baby. Here are some techniques you can try to calm your baby:
Swaddle your baby. Wrapping your baby in a thin blanket may help them feel secure. Your baby’s nurse or doctor can teach you to swaddle if you need help.
Turn on white noise. You can try a white noise machine, a fan, or a recording of a heartbeat. These sounds remind your baby of being in the womb and may calm them down.
Hold your baby in your arms on their left side or stomach. This might help with your baby’s digestion or help their stomach feel better. Remember to put your baby on their back in their crib if they fall asleep.
Put your baby in a sling and walk or rock them. This reminds your baby of being in the womb. It may comfort them.
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Give your baby a pacifier or your finger to suck on. If it’s not time to eat, let your baby suck on your clean finger or a pacifier. Most babies are calmed by sucking.
Don’t overfeed your baby. Try to wait at least 2 to 2.5 hours from the beginning of one feeding to the beginning of the next. Being too full can make your baby uncomfortable.
Check for food sensitivity. If you’re breastfeeding, check with your pediatrician to see whether eliminating milk or caffeine from your diet will make a difference. Some babies show signs of milk protein intolerance that a doctor can identify. If you’re formula feeding, you can also ask your pediatrician about changing your baby’s formula.
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Why Is My Baby So Squirmy Baby Squirming At Night & While Sleeping
If your baby is squirmy at night and has a hard time falling asleep, youre not alone. One of the hardest parts about being a new parent is figuring out how to ensure a good nights sleep for your newborn, baby, and/or toddler no matter what their disposition. There are plenty of reasons why your baby may be squirmy and there are also some solutions.
Creating a nighttime and naptime routine is essential for your babys sleep hygiene. That means a calm, quiet environment, and little to no stimulation other than perhaps some soft music. That said, some parents swear by white noise machines that create ambient sounds meant to soothe and comfort. Theres also snuggling, rocking, shhing, similar to what life was like in the womb. These are the things that are familiar to your baby and will likely help keep her calm. If however, you still have questions about how to soothe your squirmy baby, keep reading!
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Does This Mean That Baby Needs More Milk Than I Can Provide
No. Dont give baby a bottle supplementation will only tell your body that you need LESS milk at this time, and that will not help matters. Also, keep in mind that formula fed babies experience fussy periods in the evening, too fussy evenings are common for all young babies, no matter how they are fed. The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine spells this out in their supplementary feeding guidelines:
There are common clinical situations where evaluation and breastfeeding management may be necessary, but supplementation is NOT INDICATED including The infant who is fussy at night or constantly feeding for several hours.
How Do You Play With A 3
Here are some other ideas for encouraging your newborn to learn and play:
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Characteristics Of A High Needs Baby
To be clear, babies are supposed to cry. They cant walk, talk, or feed themselves, so crying is the only way for them to let you know their needs.
But if you have other children or youve been around other babies, you may feel that your baby cries more than normal, and you might even joke that your baby entered the world being difficult.
But fussiness in itself doesnt mean that you have a high needs baby. Compare notes with enough parents and youll find some fascinating stories: Babies who only smile during diaper changes and frown at all other times, babies who cry the moment they see a new face, babies who are grumpy for 7 hours straight thats hours, plural during the so-called witching hour.
But all jokes aside, if your babys temperament is more consistently intense than other babies, you could have a higher maintenance child on your hands.
When To Call The Doctor
Most of the time, the crying will stop when the babys comfort needs are met. Call the doctor if any of these occur:
- Your baby cries constantly for more than 3 hours
- The babys cry sounds different or painful to you
- Your baby has vomiting, diarrhea or is not feeding well
- Your baby cannot be soothed
- You feel scared that you are tired, angry, or you might hurt the baby
- Your baby is ill, especially if he or she has a fever of 100.4 F or more
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Why Are Babies Fussy At Night
Colic Is Sometimes To Blame For The Witching Hour
Many parents chalk this newborn behavior up to colic. Simply put, baby colic refers to any prolonged, very intense crying that seems to have no real cause. And these episodes of colic almost always begin during late afternoon or early evening.
Its estimated that around 20% of babies experience real colic. Unfortunately, theres no known cause of colic. Lots of people theorize that colic is somehow related to intestinal troubles gas, indigestion, etc. The theory is that gas and indigestion cause abdominal pain, and thats what makes our newborns cry so inconsolably. Colicky babies are common but we may never know the true cause.
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How Does Restlessness Affect Other Behaviors
Its perfectly normal for baby to show signs of restlessness and squirminess. The entire world is new and exciting to her, all of which can cause overstimulation. This is why routines are so important. They help establish boundaries, safety, and signal when its time to transition to a new activity, even sleep.If however, your baby seems perpetually fussy, has difficulty making eye contact, or rarely sleeps at all, it would be wise to consult your pediatrician to see if theres an underlying condition.
Why Is My Baby Gassy
Some parents report that their newborn will not allow them to put them down. They will only sleep on them or in a carrier. These babies are NOT flexible about where they sleep. Is this personality? Possibly, but it could be that this baby is uncomfortable and being upright and close to a parent is soothing. Having reflux, being gassy or having a sensitive tummy are common reasons I see for refusing to be put down. Babies who are gassy are often uncomfortable all the time, not just at night. Parents often report that she will ONLY sleep on someone.
Signs of gas include a lot of wriggling, arching bag and grunting. Some babies may visibly be trying to âpush.â
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A Few Solutions For Fussy Babies:
Every child is different, and what works for one may not work as well with another. Some babies might cry due to hunger while others crave a change in their routine that you can provide by trying some new activities like singing or reading them a story!
Its always important to keep track of when they have been fed recently so as not to miss any problems arising from dehydration . Lets dig into some solutions on what we can do to soothe our baby.
Why Babies Need So Much Help In The Evening
Many pregnant women notice that their unborn baby seems most active when they lie down at bedtime. This could be because they have stopped walking around and lulling their baby back to sleep!
It is common for newborn babies to continue this pattern of evening wakefulness during the first few weeks after birth. By about 6 weeks, most babies are learning that the night is for sleeping, and will begin to settle to sleep more quickly after a feed. You can gently help your baby learn the difference between night and day by taking him out in the daylight, especially in the morning, and keeping the lights low at night.
Another reason for babies to be unsettled by the end of the day is that their brains feel like they are on fire! Babies brains are growing amazingly fast they double in size in the first year. Every day, they take on lots of new information and experiences, and by the evening they are so excited by the days learning that it takes them a long time to wind down towards sleep.
In busy households, with other adults and children coming back at the end of the day, some babies may find all the extra activity overwhelming, too. And if its been just you and the baby all day, by the evening you may be feeling frazzled yourself, and in need of nurture and care, just like your baby! Unlike adults, babies cant just switch off and relax they need lots of help from calm, loving adults.
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Attachment Milestone : Attention And Regulation
Attention and regulation go hand-in-hand, because a baby who cant calm down wont be able to pay attention and interact with you.
Your baby has periods when they are calm , attentive , and shows interest in faces, but doesnt necessarily engage with you at this point.
You follow your babys lead. When your baby pays attention to you, you respond with gentle touch, soothing tone of voice, and playful facial expressions. When your baby looks away, you do the same.
Why Are Babies Fussy
Having a new baby can often feel like an ongoing guessing game – especially if he or she is baby number one. But the ultimate riddle for most new parents is, Why is my baby so fussy? Youve burped them, dimmed the lights, checked for a stinky diaper – but they just keep crying. The maternal hormone, oxytocin, can make you extra anxious, hyper-concerned, and determined to comfort baby and get them to stop crying. This is a familiar battle for most parents.
The three keys to calming a fussy baby are: stay calm, figure out what theyre crying about, and give them the extra-loving they need during this bout of overwhelming emotion.
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What Causes Babies To Be Fussy At Night
Newborns usually need to âcluster feedâ at night time. If Mom is breastfeeding her supply is lower in the early evening and so babies often need to nurse more frequently during this time to stock them up for a longer stretch of sleep. This is usually the first stretch of sleep during the night. It is not uncommon for it to take an hour for you to get your baby to sleep at bedtime until 10-12 weeks of age when the witching period tends to recede.
We all have a âsleep driveâ that signals our brain when itâs time to sleep. Most babies up to 3 months can stay awake no more than ~1.5 hours before it becomes harder to get them to fall asleep and then stay asleep. So your baby wants to eat and sleep – competing needs this time of day. She may be staying up longer than the 1.5 hours to eat and now sheâs tired, which means fussy. In the daytime, I find in my practice that many people mistake fatigue for hunger, especially during the day. Feeding ends up masking the root cause of hunger which is why watching the clock to know when itâs time to sleep can be very helpful.
Why Newborn Babies Are Fussy In The Evening
If your baby is an angel during the day, but suddenly becomes incredibly fussy at night , you might be experiencing whats commonly known as the witching hour.
It might start right around dinnertime, and it might seem as though theres no cause. It can often feel as though nothing helps your baby calm down. Pacifiers wont hold in the fussiness and the feedings dont seem to provide any relief.
Its important to remember that nearly all babies go through this stage of getting fussy during the evening. It will typically happen after they are a couple of weeks old and might last until they are about three months old.
Why does my infant get fussy at night?
There are several reasons why your baby might be getting fussy right around the same time each evening.
Colic
Colic is often defined as crying or fussiness that occurs more than three weeks in a row, happens at least three times per week, and will usually last more than three hours.
Colic will only happen for early infants. Itll start right around your infants two-week birthday can is heightened when he is about six weeks old. Luckily it will pass when he is around 3 or 5 months old.
Though no one knows the official cause of colic, some studies indicate that it is a developmental stage.
Overstimulation
Sometimes the crying and issues getting to sleep might be because your baby is overstimulated.
Once your baby starts to feel cranky and starts on the road to a meltdown, it can be difficult for him to calm down.
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