Mothers often ask, “It’s like a little baby has its own clock and starts to cry irritably at that fixed time, why is that? 1. The crying time is always fixed It is very common for babies to cry and nurse often in the evening, especially in the first few months. And it often happens in the evening. Subsequently often (but not always) followed by longer periods of sleep. Frequently, babies are nursed every hour between 6 and 10 pm. The baby takes a few minutes of milk, pulls away, cries irritably for a bit, takes more milk, pulls away, cries irritably, and continues for hours. This is very frustrating. All of this is normal. It has nothing to do with your nurturing style or your milk. Don’t bother looking for the cause, just soothe your baby. Let your baby eat as long as he or she wants and when he or she wants. 2. Is my milk not enough for my baby? No. Don’t give your baby a bottle. Adding formula will only tell your body that it doesn’t need to produce more milk and won’t help matters! Remember, formula babies go through the same periods of twilight crying. It has nothing to do with the way they are fed. 3. Why does my baby cry at night? Doctors usually attribute dusk fussiness to the immaturity of the baby’s nervous system, and dusk fussiness does stop after three to four months. However, some experts who did breast milk studies in Mali, West Africa and other traditional societies found that babies in these societies did not have dusk crying or colic. In these places, babies hang on to their mothers all day and take milk several times an hour. For many babies, general irritability requires frequent nursing, small amounts at a time, and the need to be held, caressed and walked around is not a sign of not getting enough to eat. Soothing methods 1. Change the pace. Let the mother take a break after a long day of work and relax, and let the father accompany the baby for a while. 2. Go out. You can go out a little before your baby starts to get irritable every day, take a walk, or just sit outside. 3. Use your voice. Singing, humming, talking, murmuring, shushing, listening to music, using white noise. Try more different music and sounds. 4. Use rhythmic movement to soothe your baby. Walking, rocking, dancing, are all good choices. 5. Use physical contact to soothe. Hold your baby, or give him a bath and do touch. 6.Change the nursing position, lie down to feed, or let the baby on his tummy to eat milk. 7. Don’t obsess over the schedule. Don’t schedule activities such as parties at night when your baby is irritable. Spend more time with your baby Caring for a fidgety baby can be draining. Make sure you are surrounded by supportive people and don’t put too much pressure on yourself to do chores without them. Don’t think that the time you give to your baby is useless. Every moment you spend with your baby, soothing him or her, is telling him or her that “you can be depended on wholeheartedly and that you love him or her”, and nothing is more important than that.