- [Emma] Is your newborn baby crying
in the afternoons or evenings?
And you have no idea what's upset them
or how to soothe them?
Well, good news, your baby might be going through
a normal part of development called, the witching hour.
Stay tuned as I talk about what the witching hour is,
when you can expect it to start, when it's gonna finish.
And I'll share with you, my top five soothing strategies,
which will definitely help your child,
during this period of fussiness.
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and parenting advise which will make
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If you're new to my channel, hi, my name is Emma.
I'm a Pediatric Occupational Therapist,
who has had the pleasure of working with parents of
newborn children all the way up to school age
for the last ten years.
I'm also mom to two gorgeous children.
So, what is the witching hour?
All babies goes through a period of increased crying,
which is known as the witching hour.
You may also hear it referred to as the period of
purple crying or colic.
Whether you call it the period of purple crying,
colic or the witching hour, what you are referring to
is a period of increased fussiness
that occurs in all newborn children.
It starts at two weeks of age,
with gradual increase in peak at around six to eight weeks.
And then it will start to decrease and resolve
by three to five months of age.
This period of fussiness occurs in the
afternoons and evenings, and looks as though
your child's in pain, even though you know they are not.
Often the crying is unexpected, and you have no idea
what has made them upset, or how to soothe them.
What's important to know is that this is actually part
of a normal baby's development, and all babies go through
this period of fussiness.
They are not crying because they don't like you,
or 'cause you're doing anything wrong.
So, what soothing strategies work?
Today, I'm gonna share with you my top five soothing
strategies that help during this period of fussiness.
I've also made a PDF document that covers these top five
soothing strategies, as well as 10 others that you can try
with your baby during this period of fussiness.
Tip number one, If you're breastfeeding your baby,
allowing your baby to have more frequent feeds during
this period of fussiness is actually extremely beneficial.
We know that sucking is one of the most calming things
a baby can do, so offering more frequent feeds during
this period of fussiness will be extremely beneficial.
Tip number two is consider offering a dummy or pacifier.
Again, we know that sucking is very calming for a baby.
So offering them a dummy or pacifier during this period
of fussiness will enable them to self-soothe.
If you don't wanna give your baby a dummy,
that is totally fine.
Offer them your clean finger to suck,
or you might be able to help them position their hands
into their mouth, so that they can suck them themselves.
Tip number three, is carrying your baby in a baby carrier.
You do not need to be concerned
about spoiling your baby at this age,
and during this period of fussiness they are
extremely difficult to settle.
Using your baby carrier, let your baby hear your heart beat,
see the world differently, which can provide
a distraction during this period of fussiness,
and it also ensures that they feel secure and contained
because the baby carrier itself
is wrapping around their body.
Lastly, when you're walking around,
while you're carrying them in the baby carrier,
you're moving them in an up and down motion,
which is extremely calming for a baby.
Also, a baby carrier is fantastic, because it'll let you
have your two hands free to deal with your toddler
that might be screaming in the background,
or enables you to cook dinner,
or do any other house chores, if needed.
Tip number four is going for a car ride,
if you're not too stressed with your baby crying,
and can tolerate a car ride.
Then putting your baby in the car offers another opportunity
for you to sooth your child.
The car ride will allow your baby to see things
that are passing by outside,
the hum of the car is considered white noise,
which is soothing, and also the capsule itself,
gives the baby a sense of security as they are nursed,
and firmly strapped into the car seat.
Tip number five is the flex and hold position.
This position mimics how they would have been in the womb.
So, with the back against your chest,
you'll (mumbles) them facing upwards.
You put their hands in their mouths so that they can suck,
which we all know now is very soothing,
and then you also use your other hand to support their legs
in a flex position, so bent position.
Then, slowly, you can move the baby up and down,
by bending your knees, and again that vertical motion
is extremely calming for babies.
With any of these soothing strategies,
make sure you continue to use them
after the baby has calmed down.
And that's because research is showing that if you continue
to use a soothing strategy after the baby is calmed down,
they are less likely to start crying again.
So, I guess the perfect example of this is that, if
you're holding your baby, and they stop crying,
and then you put them straight away on the floor,
they are more likely to start crying again,
whereas if you continue to hold them for a longer period
of time.
Also remember, if you get frustrated all during this period
of fussiness that you're baby's naturally gonna go through,
just put your baby down in a safe place,
and walk out of the room, and calm back down,
and then when you're ready, you can come back
and re-engage with your child.
That's my top five tips for soothing your baby
during the witching hour.
Make sure you click on the PDF below
to get another 10 strategies, as well as these five
so you can quickly refer to them
during this period of fussiness,
and give them a go with your baby.
Make sure you put in the comments below,
any other soothing strategies that you use with your child.
If you like this video, hit the like button,
be sure to subscribe, and share with any other fellow moms
and dads who are also going through
this period of fussiness.
Make sure you tune in next week as I share some more
parenting tips and tricks, to make your life as parents
easier and ensure your baby gets the best start to life.