Witching Hour vs Colic
One of the most confusing and exhausting parts of early parenthood is dealing with periods of intense crying, sometimes called “colic” or the “witching hours.” While both involve periods of crying and discomfort, colic tends to be more prolonged and difficult to soothe compared to the witching hours.
Originally published on May 22, 2014; Revised March 28, 2025
Author: Robin Kaplan, M.Ed, IBCLC, FNC
Welcoming a new baby into your life is an incredible experience, but it can also come with challenges—especially when it comes to fussiness and crying. One of the most confusing and exhausting parts of early parenthood is dealing with periods of intense crying, sometimes called “colic” or the “witching hours.” While both involve periods of crying and discomfort, colic tends to be more prolonged and difficult to soothe compared to the witching hours. While it can be overwhelming, understanding these behaviors can make it easier to navigate and find ways to soothe your little one.
ABOUT SDBFC
The San Diego Breastfeeding Center was established in 2009 by Robin Kaplan, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Functional Nutritionist, and parent. Her vision was to create a judgment-free, inclusive support system for families navigating infant feeding challenges. SDBFC offers a wide range of one-on-one breastfeeding, infant feeding, and nutrition consultations - as well as classes, support groups, online articles, and social media - making it your one-stop-shop for all things infant feeding!
What Are the Witching Hours?
The witching hours are a period of increased fussiness that almost all babies experience, usually occurring in the late afternoon and evening. It often begins around 2 to 3 weeks of age, peaks around 6 weeks, and typically fades by 3 months. During this time, your baby may want to cluster feed—feeding frequently for short periods and seeming fussier than usual. It might feel like your baby doesn’t know what they want: they may latch on to nurse for a few minutes, fall asleep, and then wake up shortly after, wanting to feed again. It’s also common for babies to give hunger cues but then pull off the breast and cry.
Why Do the Witching Hours Happen?
While we can’t know for sure why babies have these fussy periods, there are a few theories that may explain it:
Lower Milk Supply: Many parents notice that their milk supply naturally decreases a bit as the day goes on. This is completely normal and doesn’t mean you aren’t producing enough milk. However, a slower milk flow can make babies feel frustrated and want to nurse more frequently.
Overstimulation: After a long day full of new sights, sounds, and experiences, your baby may feel overwhelmed and unable to settle. This can be especially true if your household gets busier in the evening, with partners coming home, older siblings returning from school, and dinner being prepared.
Normal Developmental Phases: Babies are constantly growing and changing, and some developmental leaps may make them a bit fussier as they adjust.
What Can You Do to Help Your Baby During the Witching Hours?
While you may not be able to eliminate fussiness completely, there are plenty of strategies to make this period easier for both you and your baby:
Feed Frequently: Offer the chest/breast often, even if it feels like they just ate. Cluster feeding is normal and sucking helps to calm your baby’s nervous system.
Babywearing: Learning to nurse in a carrier can be a game changer. Wearing your baby keeps them close and soothed while giving you the freedom to move around and get things done (ie feed yourself!)
Prepare Ahead of Time: Consider making dinner earlier in the day or having easy meals ready to go, so you’re not stressed about cooking during your baby’s fussy period.
Fresh Air and Movement: Taking a walk with your baby in a carrier or stroller can help both of you reset. The fresh air and gentle motion can be incredibly calming.
Ask for Help: Don’t hesitate to let your partner or support person step in. Sometimes you need a break to recharge, and that’s okay!
What Is Colic?
Colic is different from the witching hours and is typically defined as crying that lasts off and on for more than three hours a day, at least three days a week, for three weeks or longer. Colicky crying is often more intense and harder to soothe, and babies may show signs of physical discomfort like arching their back, tensing their legs, or appearing gassy. Colic usually starts in the first few weeks and resolves once the root cause(s) has been identified.
What Causes Colic?
There’s no definitive answer to what causes colic, but some possible factors include:
Oversupply or Forceful Letdown: An abundant milk supply or fast flow can cause a baby to gulp air, leading to gas and discomfort.
Foremilk-Hindmilk Imbalance: Too much lower-calorie foremilk and not enough higher-calorie hindmilk can upset a baby’s stomach, causing gassiness.
Oral Ties: Tongue-tie or lip-tie can make it difficult for a baby to latch well, leading to swallowing air during feedings and difficulties getting enough at each feeding session.
Dietary Sensitivities: Sometimes, something in the parent’s diet (like dairy, soy, gluten, or egg) might affect the baby’s digestion.
Antibiotic Use and Gut Inflammation: If the baby or lactating parent has recently taken antibiotics, it may disrupt the baby’s gut microbiome, leading to digestive discomfort and increased fussiness.
How Can You Help a Colicky Baby?
Adjust Chest/Breastfeeding Positions: Try laid-back chest/breastfeeding to slow down your milk flow and help your baby pace themselves more effectively while feeding.
Keep a Food Journal: Track your diet and your baby’s symptoms to see if any specific foods seem to trigger fussiness. We can help identify trigger foods or root causes of gut inflammation and discomfort during a functional nutrition appointment. (Click here to find out more information about these functional nutrition appointments)
Seek Support: An International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) can help identify potential issues like oversupply, oral ties, or feeding challenges. (Click here for more details on the types of lactation appointments we offer!)
Most importantly, remember that this phase will pass. The witching hour typically resolves by 3 months as babies become less sensitive to their environments. Colic can often be remedied as soon as the root cause(s) is identified and addressed. It’s completely normal to feel stressed and overwhelmed, but you don’t have to go through it alone. Reach out for support from your partner, family, friends, and professionals who can help you navigate this challenging time.
If you’re feeling unsure about your baby’s feeding patterns, fussiness, or gut discomfort, know that you’re not alone—we’re here to help! Our team of experienced lactation consultants and functional nutrition experts is ready to support you. Whether you need guidance on soothing techniques, feeding adjustments, or identifying root causes of discomfort, we’re here to provide personalized care. Schedule a one-on-one appointment with one of our lactation consultants or functional nutrition counselors for expert advice tailored to your baby’s unique needs.
SDBFC is committed to providing high-quality lactation and functional nutrition consultations to parents in San Diego and beyond. Explore our postpartum, prenatal, and functional nutrition consultations, take a breastfeeding class or attend a workshop.
About the Author
Robin Kaplan has been an IBCLC since 2009, the same year that she opened up the San Diego Breastfeeding Center. Robin was the founding host of the Boob Group podcast and published her first book, Latch: a Handbook for Breastfeeding with Confidence at Every Stage in 2018. Melding her passions for supporting lactating parents and holistic health, Robin finished her Functional Nutrition Certification in 2023. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her two teenage boys, hiking, traveling, weaving, cooking, and searching for the best chai latte.
Do's and Don’ts of Using the Nipple Shield
Written by Robin Kaplan, M.Ed, IBCLC
Is your baby having a difficult time latching? Is breastfeeding incredibly painful? Do you have a cracked nipple that just won’t heal? Then most likely you have been recommended to try a nipple shield. While the nipple shield can often be a terrific temporary tool to help with these situations, it is important to know how to use them correctly, as well as have an exit strategy for how to discontinue usage as soon as possible.
Written by Robin Kaplan, M.Ed, IBCLC
Is your baby having a difficult time latching? Is breastfeeding incredibly painful? Do you have a cracked nipple that just won’t heal? Then most likely you have been recommended to try a nipple shield. While the nipple shield can often be a terrific temporary tool to help with these situations, it is important to know how to use them correctly, as well as have an exit strategy for how to discontinue usage as soon as possible.
What is a nipple shield and why is it used?
A nipple shield is a thin piece of silicone that is placed on your nipple so that your baby can feed at the breast. For the baby who cannot latch on easily (due to prematurity, difficult birth, tongue tie, etc) the nipple shield provides a definitive shape for mom’s nipple, making it easy to latch onto.....all baby has to do is open his/her mouth and start sucking. For the baby who is compressing mom’s nipples while breastfeeding (due to a tongue tie, lip tie, torticollis, receded chin, difficult birth, etc.) causing pain and cracked nipples, the nipple shield provides a temporary barrier so that the baby can still breastfeed while allowing mom’s nipples some relief and time to heal. Sometimes the nipple shield is offered to a mom just because she has flat nipples. In most cases, this isn’t really necessary, since a baby who latches on deeply doesn’t care whether mom has flat or erect nipples.
Is there a correct way to use the nipple shield?
YES! Just as with the baby who latches on to the bare breast, when a baby is latched on with the nipple shield, he/she will only be able to stimulate mom’s milk, keep up her milk supply, and effectively transfer milk if he/she has the entire nipple shield in his/her mouth. If the baby is sliding off and on the nipple shield while feeding, the baby will not be able to transfer milk well and can also cause mom a lot of nipple pain.
Depending on how long your nipple is, you might have to invert the shield before putting it on, so that your nipple goes further into the shield before latching your baby. Our DIY Breastfeeding YouTube Video, Latching: Using a Nipple Shield, demonstrates how to do this.
What are the pros and cons of using the nipple shield?
Pros:
- Mom’s nipple has an opportunity to heal without having to introduce a bottle too early to her baby.
- Premature babies who have not yet become super coordinated at latching on to mom’s bare breast and who tire quickly are able to breastfeed more easily.
- Babies who are unable to latch onto mom’s bare breast, for a variety of reasons, are able to breastfeed while the underlying challenges are addressed.
Cons:
- Babies may not be able to effectively transfer milk using the nipple shield, so baby might need supplementation even if mom’s milk supply is able to meet his/her need.
- Mom’s milk supply could potentially decrease if baby isn’t effectively stimulating her milk supply.
- Mom might get recurrent plugged ducts and/pr mastitis due to ineffective milk drainage.
- Babies can become very dependent on the nipple shield, which can make it difficult to wean from. This can make breastfeeding in public a bit of a challenge.
How can I wean my baby from the nipple shield?
Babies can become very obsessed with the nipple shield, so sometimes it can be challenging to wean them from it. This is why you always want to have an exit strategy.
- If you are using the nipple shield as a temporary band-aid while your nipples heal, try to use it for only a few days and maybe not for every feeding. If one side is less damaged than the other, only use the shield on the more damaged nipple.
- If you are using the nipple shield to help with latching difficulties, attempt each day to latch your baby without it. You never know when he/she is going to figure out how to latch without it and the daily practice should help speed up that process. Sometimes moms find it helpful to latch the baby with the nipple shield at the beginning of the feeding and then try the ‘bait and switch’ move to encourage the baby to latch back on without it once he/she has a little milk in the belly.
- If you are using the nipple shield due to baby’s inability to breastfeed well because of a tongue tie, lip tie, general chompiness, torticollis, etc., you absolutely want to schedule an appointment with a lactation consultant to help remedy these underlying issues. The use of the nipple shield might help temporarily, but it may increase your risk for breastfeeding challenges later on, which can be more difficult to fix as the baby gets older. A great IBCLC should be able to assess what is causing these breastfeeding challenges, as well as provide you with other practitioners who can help remedy the situation, such as an ENT, pediatric dentist, chiropractor, craniosacral therapist, etc.
Podcast and Personal Stories about Tongue Ties and Lip Ties
Written by Robin Kaplan, M.Ed, IBCLC
Last week on The Boob Group, I had the esteemed pleasure of interviewing one of the most prominent experts on tongue ties and lip ties, Catherine Watson Genna. Catherine has written multiple articles and books about the mechanics of the tongue while breastfeeding, as well as the breastfeeding challenges that can occur when a baby has a tongue or lip tie. One of her earliest articles was written for the American Academy of Pediatrics, helping to bring awareness to this subject for the practitioners who babies see the most.
Written by Robin Kaplan, M.Ed, IBCLC
Last week on The Boob Group, I had the esteemed pleasure of interviewing one of the most prominent experts on tongue ties and lip ties, Catherine Watson Genna. Catherine has written multiple articles and books about the mechanics of the tongue while breastfeeding, as well as the breastfeeding challenges that can occur when a baby has a tongue or lip tie. One of her earliest articles was written for the American Academy of Pediatrics, helping to bring awareness to this subject for the practitioners who babies see the most.
Here is a list of SDBFC's articles about tongue ties and lip ties, including serveral personal memoirs from breastfeeding mothers who experienced this with their children.
Does Your Baby Have a Tongue or Lip Tie?
Advocating When Your Baby has a Tongue or Lip Tie
The Tongue Tie/Lip Tie Challenge
What a Difference a Tongue Tie Revision Can Make
Breastfeeding After a Tongue Tie Revision
If you have a story to share about breastfeeding a child with a tongue or lip tie, whether you have the revision procedure or not, please send it to Robin Kaplan (robinkaplan@sdbfc.com)
Advocating When Your Baby has a Tongue or Lip Tie
To help parents understand a bit more about how tongue and lip ties can affect breastfeeding, over the next few weeks we will be featuring stories from moms whose babies experienced these challenges. We would like to extend a HUGE thank you to the brave mamas who submitted their stories for our blog! We know you went through a ton of challenges and we are so appreciative that you were willing to share your stories! If you have a story you would like to share on our blog, please send it to robinkaplan@sdbfc.com.
For more information about tongue and lip ties and how they can affect breastfeeding, please see our article: Does Your Baby Have a Tongue or Lip Tie?
To help parents understand a bit more about how tongue and lip ties can affect breastfeeding, over the next few weeks we will be featuring stories from moms whose babies experienced these challenges. We would like to extend a HUGE thank you to the brave mamas who submitted their stories for our blog! We know you went through a ton of challenges and we are so appreciative that you were willing to share your stories! If you have a story you would like to share on our blog, please send it to robinkaplan@sdbfc.com.
For more information about tongue and lip ties and how they can affect breastfeeding, please see our article: Does Your Baby Have a Tongue or Lip Tie?
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Written by Kimberly Berry
I am often referred to as a "boob nerd" by many friends. Articles, research, blogs....anything breastfeeding related always interested me. I absorb the information like a sponge. Sharing and helping moms with nursing just came naturally. I never heard of tongue or lip tie though until I was pregnant with my second. A few things I read made me wonder if some of the struggles I had with my daughter were due to a possible tongue/lip tie in her. She had self weaned recently though, so I never gave it much more thought. That reading on tongue ties proved to be invaluable to me in just a few short months however.
My handsome baby boy came flying into this world at 5:01pm on a Friday afternoon. The moment he was handed to me after his birth, I saw it glaring right back at me as he cried and took his first breaths. A tongue tie. His frenulum stretched all the way to the tip of his tongue. I kissed and nuzzled him close to calm him, warm him. Once calm, I looked at my husband and said, "He has tongue tie." My husband, confused said, "..ok?" not knowing what I knew. Not knowing how that can affect breastfeeding. Not knowing the possibility for pain and injury for me while nursing our second child. The nurse nearby heard me and chimed in to say "Oh, it's just a small one, no worries!" I told her I wanted to see a lactation consultant. She nodded her head and continued on with her work.
I then began the process of trying to get him to latch for his first feed, although I knew that it could quite possibly be as bad, or even worse than the pain I just endured to bring him into this world. He was disinterested. So we snuggled and I tried every five minutes or so. Finally, 45 minutes after his birth, he latched. I unlatched and relatched him over two dozen times before it felt even remotely close to ok. I asked again to see the lactation consultant on staff. I did breast compressions and massage to help encourage colostrum into his little mouth that he was trying so hard to get to work correctly. Becoming annoyed, I would then ask every person that came into my room to bring me a IBCLC. I was met with "Yes, sure thing!", "You are on the waiting list", "Your nipples are just too big for his mouth"... I could go on and on with the excuses I heard the rest of that day and overnight. We struggled through each feeding. He was frustrated, and so was I. When he cried, his tongue looked like a heart. My heart broke that this was going on and help was seemingly out of reach.
Finally, at 9am the next day, a IBCLC stopped in to "see how breastfeeding was going." I told her that I had been asking to see a lactation consultant since his birth the evening before. Shocked, she said she was not made aware we needed her. We discussed for several minutes how crucial nursing support is to new mothers and who she was going to speak with about the situation. I made my notes on who to contact as well as who to advise of the lack of proper treatment. Then we got down to the business at hand. She agreed immediately that my son had a tongue tie, and not "just a small one" as the nurse had called it. She called right then for the ENT to work us into the schedule immediately to have it clipped. Unfortunately, we were knocked back on the list several times due to other emergency surgeries that day. While I am a patient person, I was becoming angered that the fact that my child was having trouble eating was not a concern to most of the staff.
The next day, the day of our discharge, arrived and we were still muddling through feeds. I was starting to become very sore. Again, we were told time after time that we were next in line for his procedure, only to be knocked back again by an emergency surgery. How many emergency surgeries were there?! How many other new mothers were waiting for the same help I was??? The IBCLC I had spoken with the day before was not working. The other IBCLC couldn't get to us until that afternoon. Our nurse was sympathetic, but said this seemed to be typical of the weekend. Finally, I said enough is enough and took matters into my own hands. I looked up the ENT my daughter sees. Being a Sunday, the after hours line was activated. I left a message to see if anyone could call me back to let me know if they preformed frenulectomies on newborns. Thankfully, a sweet nurse called me back after about 5 minutes. She said that they did do the procedures, but I would have to call back in the morning for a appointment.
We left the hospital and never looked back. I bared through the pain of the feedings until that appointment with the ENT the next afternoon. The frenulectomy was not easy to watch, but it helped so much. When he nursed when it was over, I could tell a difference, not a huge one immediately, but enough that I didn't wince up and have tears in my eyes the whole time. We only had to relatch six times instead of more than a dozen times. Each day thereafter, nursing was getting better and better. We practiced the exercises and I continued trying to heal my nipples. After several days, he started gaining weight and I was settling into being a mommy of two. Nursing became a joy again. Something I once again looked forward to. It was now my time to look in awe at my newborn and be proud of my body’s amazing ability to grow this perfect being and now continue to nourish it.
Without a doubt, if I didn't know anything about breastfeeding or tongue ties, I would have thrown the towel in and given up. It was clear for me to see why so many new mothers do. In a mom’s group I help with, I constantly tell new mothers to check for tongue/lip ties. Even if someone says there isn't one, or if its minor and won't affect breastfeeding, know how to look yourself and find someone who will help you. You have to be your own advocate. Your babies advocate. We look to these medical professionals to guide and help us. Unfortunately, sometimes that's not always the case. It's crucial for them to receive the proper training, listen to their patients, and have resources available to help mothers and babies. It's crucial for mothers to be determined, educated, and supported. All of these things go hand in hand for successful breastfeeding. My son went on to nurse until he self weaned at 13 months.