Can witching hour start at 3 months old?

[sunshinecitrus1]

My son has suddenly started to get very fussy in the evenings. He starts crying almost for attention at first and then it slowly gets worse until he is screaming the house down and then he tires himself out and naps. At this point he isn’t hungry and all of his other boxes are ticked but we have started noticing a very similar pattern each evening. My question is, can witching hour start at 3 months old as he wasn’t like this before now??

Sounds like three month colic. It is normal and will pass.

When you say evenings, do you mean 5-6pm, or later like 8-9pm?

Sounds like he’s overtired!

My 18 month old still has a witching hour if she doesn’t nap well

Sorry but genuinely don’t understand your post.

You don’t say how old he is, which is crucial.

Have you tried feeding him again? They often have a growth spurt at 3 months so it could be that. Our baby is the same age and currently back to cluster feeding, especially late afternoon/early evening. She has been generally more fussy in the evenings from about 2 weeks old though and I've always put it down to the witching hour. Thankfully she is now going to bed between 7/8 as opposed to 9/10 which makes the fussiness less long lasting! Easier said than done but try to focus on the fact he isn't doing it on purpose, he is expressing a need of some sort. They are still too little at this age to do it for attention. It's just hard to work out what they need! Feed and cuddles would be my first line. Otherwise considering if he's overtired? Does he nap well in the day? Perhaps he's ready for an earlier bedtime?

@MrsSkylerWhite

Sorry but genuinely don’t understand your post.

You don’t say how old he is, which is crucial.

It's in the title and the post 🙈

@MrsSkylerWhite

Sorry but genuinely don’t understand your post.

You don’t say how old he is, which is crucial.

Are you joking?

Theresamagicalplace

It's in the title and the post“

Eeeek. Yep, I’m a knob. I’ll get my coat.

Sorry 🥴

I've never heard of the term "witching hour" in respect of babies before, but then my DC are all in their 20's so I guess its a more recent turn of phrase.

Witching hour is just when it’s nearly bedtime but not quite and they are tired and grizzly.

It’s not a recent turn of phrase - my parents used it in the 1980s!

Three months was key witching hour here.

Thanks for your comments! I was wondering whether it could be colic related too. He gets fussy later on in the evenings about 8-9pm, that’s when it peaks so as previous posters have said… Maybe it is time to move his bedtime forward. It’s a tough one though as he has been very good at sleeping through the night. He has been doing it for a good few weeks now and he has regular naps during the day so I am not sure it’s due to tiredness. Maybe overstimulation? Only a few days ago we have upped his milk by an ounce and dropped a bottle which he seemed happier with so I am finding it hard to know how to shift his bedtime earlier as his last bottle is falling around 10pm at the moment!

Surely you aren't keeping baby up until 10pm?? I would class that as a night feed. Put him to bed (wherever that is before you go to actual bed with him) when he is tired, 7/8ish and then he wakes at 10 or around then for his feed? Maybe look into dream feeds, I've never done those cause I breastfeed but my SIL swears by them!

@HalloHello No I am not keeping my baby up until 10pm. As mentioned in my original post, he is very unsettled in the evenings at the moment and 10pm just happens to be when his last bottle is due. He is very hard to settle down (or want to sleep or nap!) until then. Thank you, I will look into dream feeds.

Yes, IME when they get fussy at 8-9 it's because they are tired and want to sleep but it's too noisy/light in the living room.

I've tended to start putting mine to bed in the evening (in the bedroom) at around this time. I might then stay and read a book on my kindle, or scroll aimlessly on my phone, until I want to go to sleep or when they are a bit more stable at being left I leave them and come back if they cry or when I want to sleep. Lots of people do bedtime at 8ish and a dream feed at 10.

Before I get jumped on, I am aware it's against guidance/higher risk to leave them alone to sleep before 6 months old, so it's a decision you'll have to weigh up for yourself. For me I feel since the risk is low anyway (on back, in empty cot, no smoking, decent weight, not overdressed) the benefit of those two hours of baby-free time outweigh the small increase in risk and the largest portion of the night, we do room share and will until over 6 months old (probably a year or 2).

Don't let the presence of things like breathing monitors sway your decision. They don't reduce the risk of anything. If you wouldn't be happy to leave them without that, don't leave them.