​It’s been nearly 8 years since my third child was born. But the question that stands out in my mind is: Why didn’t anybody warn me about the witching hour?!

Sometimes babies cry in the early evening for no apparent reason.

I used to break into a sweat as this hour approached and not know what to do. My baby wasn’t hungry or wet.

It’s 5 p.m. You feel totally clueless when your little sweet baby begins screaming his or her lungs out. Finally I got advice from a TODAY colleague who said. “Oh, what you need to do is get your baby to go to sleep BEFORE the witching hour hits.” During this time of day the baby is tired, not ready to go down for the night but needs a little nap.

Most babies will sleep if you take a walk outside or drive in your car. It worked like a charm!

Here’s another piece of advice a mom of five told me early on when I having difficulty getting my babies to go to sleep. Since most parents don’t keep much in the crib to avoid choking hazards, instead of a blanket, throw in a diaper cloth they can snuggle with. It’s small and easily replaceable. If you lose their lamb or bear blanket in the airport you’re in trouble, but you can have 10 diaper cloths. Genius!

Being sleep deprived is the toughest part about being a new parent. Some parents try to create a competition over it. Don’t believe the ones that claim their baby is so easy and slept through the night from the beginning. Usually it’s not true. Just saying.