What Is Witching Hour & How To Navigate It

Alessandra | Posted on March 20, 2025 |

If you’re a new mom and have come across the term “Witching Hour,” you might be wondering, “what is witching hour? It sounds a little intimidating!” In this blog, I’ll explain what it means and share tips to help you handle it with confidence.

What is witching hour, you ask? Well, let me briefly explain. If you’ve ever experienced your normally sweet baby or toddler turning into an inconsolable, cranky mess at the same exact time every evening, welcome to the witching hour! This challenging time of day is so common but can leave parents feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and unsure of how to help their little one calm down. But don’t worry because like I said, you’re not alone, and there are ways to manage it! In this post, we’ll dive into what the witching hour is, who it affects, and most importantly, how to get through it with your sanity intact.

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What Is Witching Hour?

The witching hour refers to a time of day, typically in the late afternoon or early evening, when babies and toddlers become unusually fussy, clingy, and difficult to soothe. It can feel like an endless stretch of crying, meltdowns, and general irritability. This phase is most commonly associated with newborns and toddlers, but let’s face it bigger kids get grouchy around dinner time too. It’s been deemed the term “Witching Hour” because your sweet little baby seems to have changed drastically so quickly, making that time between 3:00ish to 5:00ish difficult.

While there’s no single cause of the witching hour, these triggers might be to blame:

Overstimulation – After a long day of new (or typical) experiences, babies and toddlers can become overwhelmed.
Fatigue – If your child hasn’t napped well, (or even if they have) exhaustion can lead to heightened fussiness.
Hunger – Many babies cluster feed in the evenings, and toddlers may also be hungrier than usual.
Digestive Discomfort – Gas, colic, or an immature digestive system can contribute to evening fussiness.
Regulation Issues – Young children are still learning how to regulate their emotions and behavior, making the end of the day especially difficult for them for all the reasons listed above!

What Ages Does It Commonly Affect?

The witching hour is most prevalent in:

Newborns (0-3 months) – This is the peak time for witching hour episodes, often occurring any time between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Infants (3-6 months) – While symptoms may lessen, some babies still struggle with evening fussiness around 4 or 5:00.
Toddlers (12-24 months) – Though less intense than in infancy, toddlers may experience evening meltdowns due to exhaustion, overstimulation, or hunger.

Tips to Work Through Witching Hour

At this point it’s important to note that the witching hour is really normal. But that doesn’t make it any easier to get through! If your little one struggles with witching hour, try these strategies below to help ease the chaos.

1. Stick to a Predictable Routine

Babies and toddlers thrive on consistency and that’s why routines and structure are so important! If you notice everyday around the same time your child begins to get fussy, create a calming routine and atmosphere. Dim the lights, turn off the tv and provide quiet play. These less stimulating activities can help ease the symptoms of the witching hour and help in the transition time to bedtime.

2. Ensure Your Child is Well-Rested

You might notice your child is more cranky if they missed a nap or didn’t sleep well. Prevent overtiredness by offering naps at appropriate intervals depending on your child’s age. Check out the 2-3-4 daily schedule to help! An exhausted baby or toddler is much harder to soothe and get to sleep! If you had to miss nap time for one reason or another because, well LIFE, then providing a rest time in a quiet space as I mentioned in the tip above can help.

3. Offer Frequent Feeding Opportunities

Babies and toddlers are growing all the time and because of that, they are often very hungry! If your baby is cluster feeding, lean into it rather than resisting, they won’t overeat so don’t worry. For toddlers, offering a protein-rich snack between lunch and dinner time can help curb hunger-related fussiness. Try cheese, yogurt, fruit, or granola bars to help with the hangriness!

4. Use Soothing Techniques

Having some good soothing techniques up your sleeve is a great way to settle down your child. For babies, swaddling, rocking, white noise, or babywearing can provide comfort. Babywearing is a great option if you need to get stuff done during witching hour. For toddlers, a calming activity like reading or sensory play can help regulate emotions. Think play-doh, dried rice in a sensory bin, or water play if that’s available. Some toddlers might need more active time too, so try going for a walk, swinging, or an indoor trampoline for some gross motor play.

5. Create a Calm Environment

As tempting as tv or a tablet an be, I suggest skipping the electronics during this time as these things can escalate big emotions and make kids more overstimulated. Instead, try lowering noise levels, dimming the lights, and reducing stimulation which can help prevent sensory overload. You can try calming, quiet music or a sound machine to add some background noise.

6. Get Outside

Getting outside can make all the difference and if you’re feeling overstimulated as a mom, I highly suggest trying this first. Being outside fixes everything. Take a walk outside either with your baby in a stroller or letting your kids walk if they are older. This can break the cycle of fussiness thanks to fresh air and a change of scenery. Listen to the birds, get some sunshine and feel your shoulders drop. 🙂

7. Try Skin-to-Skin Contact

For infants and even younger toddlers, skin-to-skin contact can provide comfort and help regulate your child’s nervous system. It can even help YOU regulate too! There are so many benefits of doing skin-to-skin, so take just a few moments of your busy day to sit and relax with your baby. The Cleveland Clinic gives some great information about this too in this article!

8. Use Babywearing

Babies just want to be close to their mamas. And so do toddlers for that matter. Like I said, babywearing can make a big difference during the witching hour. Carry your baby in a soft wrap or carrier and keep them close while freeing your hands to complete other tasks. This is great if you have other children too.

9. Remain Calm & Patient

As difficult as it can be for you, because whining and never-ending crying can get very overstimulating for moms too, try to stay as calm as possible. Your baby or toddler picks up on your energy. When you stay calm and reassuring it can help de-escalate their distress. So close your eyes and take a deep breath, mama! Walk into another for to collect yourself for a few moments if you need to as well. This will feel like the longest 2 hours ever if you are feeling uptight too.

10. Ask for Help When Needed

Luckily, the witching hour tends to happen around the time everyone is home from work. So if you’re a stay at home mom, hopefully your husband/partner will be home during this time. With that said, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a break! Have your partner step in so you can make dinner or clean up. If that’s not an option, see if a family member, friend, or even a neighbor is available to step in for a few minutes. And if none of those are options all the time, then the 9 tips above are a great starting point to help you cope with witching hour!

Final Thoughts

The witching hour can be one of the most trying parts of early parenthood! But remember, it won’t last forever and it’s not caused by anything you’re doing wrong. Your child should begin to outgrow this weird phase by 2.5 to 3 years old. By understanding what causes it, like just simply surviving a long day, and then implementing calming techniques, you can help your baby or toddler navigate this challenging time with more ease. Always give yourself grace, lean on your support system, and know that each phase, no matter how exhausting, will eventually pass. Let me know in the comment section below which technique you’re going to try and if you have any other ideas, drop them below too!

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