# The Witching Hour: Evening Fussiness in the Newborn Weeks

> Why many babies fuss every evening from about 2 weeks, and how to get through it.

Stage: newborn - Topic: Crying - Page: https://www.askcladle.com/guides/newborn/witching-hour-evening-fussiness

Grounded in: AAP HealthyChildren guidance on crying and colic, NHS "Soothing a crying baby", and the Period of PURPLE Crying® program (National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome).

Reviewed: 2026-11

## TLDR

- Evening fussing often starts at 2-3 weeks, is worst around 6 weeks and eases by 3-4 months. It's normal and not your fault.
- Cluster feeding every 30-60 minutes in the evening is expected and doesn't mean low milk.
- Protect the late-afternoon nap, dim the lights early and hold the baby close. Call for nonstop crying over 2 hours, a strange cry or fever under 12 weeks.

## What it is

- The "witching hour" is a stretch of fussing and crying most evenings, often somewhere between
  about 5 and 11 p.m. It can last an hour or several, even when the baby is calm the rest of the
  day.
- It often shows up at 2-3 weeks, is usually worst around 6 weeks, and eases by about 3-4 months.
- It's normal and common. It isn't caused by anything the parents did, and it doesn't mean the
  baby is in pain or that the milk is wrong.
- It isn't the same as colic. Colic is crying more than 3 hours a day, more than 3 days a week,
  for 3 weeks or more. The colic guide covers that, the 5 S's and coping with long crying spells.

## Why evenings are hardest

- Nobody knows the exact cause. A young baby's nervous system is still learning to settle, and by
  evening the day's noise, light and handling have added up.
- Overtiredness: a late-afternoon nap that was short or skipped makes the evening harder.
- Cluster feeding: many babies want to feed every 30-60 minutes in the evening, often before a
  longer stretch of sleep. That's expected and builds breast milk supply. It doesn't mean there
  isn't enough milk.
- Swallowed air or gas from fast, fussy feeds.

## What helps

- Get ahead of it: protect a late-afternoon nap, and dim the lights and lower the noise from about
  5 p.m.
- Feed on cue and let cluster feeding happen. With bottles, pace the feed, burp often, and offer a
  little more only if the baby still seems hungry.
- Hold the baby close: skin-to-skin, a carrier, or slow rocking.
- Steady white noise or shushing, and gentle rhythmic motion. A walk outside or a warm bath can
  reset a spiraling evening.
- Plan the evening around it: make dinner earlier or the day before, and take turns with a partner
  in 30-60 minute shifts so each adult gets a real break.
- Some evenings nothing works. Holding a crying baby in a calm, dim room still counts.

## Keep everyone safe

- If you're losing your cool, put the baby on their back in the crib, step away for 10 minutes and
  call someone. Never shake a baby.

## When it's more than the witching hour

Call the pediatrician if the crying is nonstop for more than 2 hours, the cry sounds different
(high-pitched or weak), there's any fever (100.4°F / 38°C or higher) under 12 weeks, or the baby
is feeding poorly, vomiting or has fewer wet diapers. The colic guide has the full list.