Overtired Baby? Here are 5 methods to Soothe Her

Something that we often hear from well-meaning friends and family is to avoid the perils of ‘spoiling’ our babies. I cannot stress this enough - you cannot spoil a newborn. There is no such thing as bad habits at this stage as long as everyone is safe. Do not worry or feel guilty about holding your baby too much or being too reactive to their cries. I’ll say it again - you cannot spoil a newborn, you cannot hold them too much. It’s our job as their caregivers to meet their needs and to help them to adjust to life outside of the womb. So soak up all of those tiny baby snuggles.

When a baby reaches around the 6-week mark, we often see an increase in early evening fussiness and crying. We often hear it referred to as the witching hour - or witching hours, plural, as is often the case with a newborn! As a child sleep consultant, I often hear from parents during this time as sleep can become even more elusive.

Experts who have been studying child behaviour over many years have discovered that there is a curve in crying in an infant's life which has been dubbed purple crying. In the first 6 weeks or so we barely see any crying, this intensifies at around the 6-8 week period and often seems like it comes out of nowhere. Rest assured that it will then taper off between 3-5 months of age. This is a completely normal developmental stage. The phrase Purple Crying refers to an acronym that describes this period:

• Peak of crying

• Unexpected

• Resist soothing, or are difficult to soothe 

• Pain - a baby crying may look like they are in pain

• Long periods in the day 

• Evening - this is when they typically cry most…when we’re all tired! 

The word period, however, means that it won’t last forever. Of course, if you are ever concerned about your baby's well-being, always reach out to your family doctor. Always trust your gut if you think something is amiss. Remember that you are the expert in your baby and you are their voice.

During this phase of purple crying, there are methods to help to calm your baby. You might often hear these referred to as the 5 S’s of soothing:

✨ Swaddling - Swaddling will remind your baby of the close quarters they were used to in utero. This can really help them to feel calm and safe. As a child sleep consultant, I always recommend to swaddle your baby in the early weeks when they sleep at night and for naps as swaddling will reduce the startle or moro reflex which may wake them from their peaceful slumber!

✨ Swinging or rocking - You might have noticed that when you were active and moving around during pregnancy, this is when you feel very little movement from your baby - this is because your baby was being rocked off to sleep. Gentle swinging or rocking will calm them down and help them drift off to sleep.

✨ Skin-to-skin contact - There are many benefits of skin to skin. It can help to regulate your baby's temperature, breathing and heart rate. It also helps to release the hormone oxytocin which is your body’s natural feel-good hormone which will go a long way to reducing their stress levels and calming them down.

✨ Suckling - Breastfeeding mothers will attest to the fact that their newborns often love to suckle long after they have finished a feed. Suckling is very calming for a baby, regardless of how they are feeding. You can use your breast, a soother or even a clean finger to allow your baby to suckle and calm.

✨ Shushing - To a baby, rhythmic shushing or white noise sounds like the familiar sound of blood flow that they heard when they were in the womb. Shushing is another great tactic to help soothe a crying baby.

These are things that can often help to calm us too. And if you are ever struggling, remember there is help and support out there. Don’t be afraid to ask for it.

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