Colic and the Witching Hour: Coping With a Crying Baby

Few things rattle new parents like a baby who cries and cries and simply cannot be consoled — often just as the evening rush of cooking, guests and tiredness hits. If this is your evenings right now, hold on to two things: your baby is very likely perfectly healthy, and it will pass.

What colic actually is

Paediatricians still use a rule of thumb from 1954, the "rule of threes": crying for more than three hours a day, more than three days a week, for more than three weeks, in a baby who is otherwise healthy, feeding and growing well. About one in five babies fits it. Colic typically peaks around six weeks and settles by three to four months — almost always on its own.

No one knows exactly why it happens — an immature gut, a developing nervous system, and sensitivity to the day's stimulation are all suspected. Crucially, it is not caused by anything you did or didn't do.

The "witching hour"

Even babies without full-blown colic often have a fussy window in the late afternoon or evening — the so-called witching hour. After a day of soaking up sights, sounds and a houseful of relatives, an overtired, overstimulated baby lets it all out at once. Protecting a late-afternoon nap and dimming the evening down can take the edge off.

First, rule out the fixable

Before you settle on "colic", run through the simple causes: hunger, a wet or dirty nappy, feeling too hot (very common in Indian summers — check the back of the neck, not the hands), too cold, or overtired. Trapped wind can hurt too; hold your baby upright and burp gently after feeds. If crying comes with fever, vomiting, blood in the stool, poor feeding or poor weight gain, that isn't colic — see below.

What tends to help

There's no magic cure, but calm, rhythmic comfort often works. Many parents lean on some version of the "five S's":

• Swaddle snugly (stop once your baby shows any sign of rolling)
• Side or tummy hold in your arms while awake
• Shush — a steady "shhh", a fan, or white noise
• Sway or rock gently; a walk, a pram ride, or slow bouncing
• Suck — the breast or a clean finger

Warm baths, a gentle tummy massage between feeds, stepping outside for fresh air, and simply passing the baby to another pair of arms all help too. Be cautious with gripe water and ghutti — hugely popular across India, but unregulated and not proven; ask your paediatrician first. For some breastfed babies a specific probiotic helps, which your doctor can advise on.

Protect yourself — and never shake

This is the part no one says loudly enough: relentless crying is exhausting and can push any loving parent to the edge. If you feel that edge, it is completely okay to lay your baby safely on their back in the cot, step out of the room, breathe for a few minutes, and come back calmer. Never, ever shake a baby — it can cause serious brain injury. Hand over to your partner, your mother, anyone. Share the nights.

When to call the doctor

Crying that is new, high-pitched or weak, or that comes with fever, vomiting, a swollen tummy, blood in the stool, poor feeding or weight loss, is a reason to see your paediatrician promptly — those point to something other than colic. And if the crying itself is grinding you down, tell your doctor that too; you both deserve support.