Tap Baby Care5 Weeks · 10 min read
All about your 5 week old
Wake windows stretch, evening fuss often builds, and the first real smiles are close enough to hope for.
Read the guideAge Guide · 6 Weeks
All about your 6 week old
Six weeks is a headline week: many babies offer their first true social smile, and many families meet the witching hour in full. Add a common growth spurt and you get a baby who is more delightful at 10 a.m. and more intense at 6 p.m. Both are real. This is peak crying for a lot of infants, and it is also the week a lot of parents say, “Oh — there you are.”
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Sleep at 6 weeks
The witching hour and a tired brain
Sleep totals are still about 14–16 hours, with wake windows around 60–90 minutes. The new plot is the witching hour: a fussy, squirmy, hard-to-feed stretch that often lands between 5 and 9 p.m. It is usually stacked overtiredness plus a more socially awake baby, not a mysterious allergy (though true medical issues deserve a check if something feels wrong).
Survival tactics are dull and effective. Shorten late-day wake windows. Feed on demand, even if the last feed was recent. Lower lights, add white noise, wear the baby if that helps, and drop the idea of an “independent” bedtime. Contact naps in the afternoon can take the edge off the evening. This phase typically eases as circadian rhythm matures over the next 2–6 weeks.
Nights may fragment again during the 6-week growth spurt. Offer calories first. Keep the sleep space safe and boring. If you have been using a swaddle and your baby is still not rolling, it can still be a tool — hips loose, always on the back, discontinued at the first roll signs.
- Plan a “minimum viable evening”: feed, dim, hold, repeat — skip extra visitors if you can.
- A late catnap at 5 p.m. can be the difference between a manageable night and a meltdown.
- Hand the baby to another adult and walk away for 10 minutes if crying spikes your stress.
- Do not start cry-it-out at 6 weeks. This is a support-heavy age, not a training age.
What to expect across a 24-hour stretch
Days can look sweet; late afternoon often asks for extra feeds and a dimmer switch.
- Feed
- Every 2.5–3.5 hours; hourly in the witching hour
- Diaper + snuggle
- After feeds; babywearing can help after 5 p.m.
- Wake window
- 60–90 minutes
- Sleep
- 4–5 naps, plus a very supported evening
Sleep at a glance
These are guidelines. What's normal and healthy can vary.
14–16 hrs
Total sleep across 24 hours
60–90 min
Wake windows
4–5
Daytime naps
5–9 p.m.
Common witching-hour window
Development at 6 weeks
First social smiles and early coos
If you have been waiting for a real smile, this is a classic week for it. A social smile happens when your baby is awake, looking at you, and grinning because you exist — not because gas is moving. Cooing often tags along: open vowel sounds that invite you to answer. That back-and-forth is early conversation.
Head control in tummy time is stronger. Many 6 week olds lift to 45 degrees and hold it a beat longer. Daily tummy time might total 20–30 minutes in pieces. Hands open more of the day. Your baby may watch a toy you move in an arc, though batting at it is still clumsy and optional.
The 6-week growth spurt can make them needier just as they become more fun. That is a frustrating combo. Protect sleep and feeds, then use the best morning window for smiles and floor time. You will get more of the baby you like when they are not running on fumes.
- Answer every coo — pause, copy the sound, wait. That is language practice.
- Tummy time on your chest while you talk is still a high-value session.
6 week milestones to watch for
Every baby develops on their own timeline. Use this as a gentle guide. Talk to your pediatrician if you're concerned.
Motor
- Holds head at about 45 degrees during tummy time for longer moments
- Opens hands much of the time
- Kicks legs in bigger, more energetic bursts
- May begin to push down with legs when held upright
Communication
- Coos with open vowel sounds
- Takes turns “talking” when you pause
- Crying often peaks around this age, especially evenings
- Makes a wider range of fuss sounds, not only a full cry
Cognitive
- Follows a moving face or toy in a wider arc
- Stays interested in a simple object for longer
- Begins to connect your voice with your face appearing
- Shows early anticipation at feed time
Social & Emotional
- Offers true social smiles when awake and looking at you
- Seems happy to see a familiar caregiver
- Enjoys face-to-face talk in a quiet room
- Needs extra regulation help during the evening fuss
Feeding at 6 weeks
Growth spurt meets witching hour
A 6-week growth spurt is common. Daytime bottles may sit around 3.5–4.5 oz, 7–9 feeds a day, then evenings turn into a buffet. Breastfed babies may want the breast hourly after 4 p.m. for a few days. Follow it. Supply and appetite usually restabilize. Stretching feeds through a spurt just adds crying.
During the witching hour, some babies fuss at the breast or bottle, pull off, then root again. Try a calmer room, a paced bottle, or a switch to motion after a decent intake. Gas is often blamed; tiredness is the more frequent culprit. If there is blood in stool, poor weight gain, or a baby in obvious pain, that is a clinical visit, not a wait-it-out night.
If you are pumping, this week can look like a sudden “I need more milk” from the baby without a matching freezer crisis. Extra nursing or an added pump for a few days often closes the gap. Solids are still months away. Vitamin D remains a pediatric conversation for breastfed babies.
- Cluster feeding for 2–4 evenings in a row is a growth-spurt signature.
- If they refuse the bottle in a bright, noisy room, try the same bottle in the dark.
- Keep burps gentle and upright time short enough that you still protect the next nap.
Feeding, by the numbers
7–9
Feeds across 24 hours
2.5–3.5 hrs
Between daytime feeds
3.5–4.5 oz
Per feeding
Track it this way.
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FAQ
Quiet answers for loud questions.
Common questions parents ask at the 6 weeks stage.
What is the witching hour?
A fussy period, often 5–9 p.m., that commonly shows up around 6 weeks. Babies may cry, cluster feed, and refuse sleep even when they are tired. It usually eases as nights organize over the next several weeks. Feed, dim, hold, and skip sleep-training experiments.
Is the 6-week growth spurt real?
Many babies do eat more often around 6 weeks for a few days. Watch diapers and mood after the surge. If extra feeding lasts and weight is a concern, check in with your pediatrician or a lactation professional rather than assuming it is “just a spurt” forever.
When do social smiles start?
Typically 6–8 weeks. A social smile is awake, responsive, and aimed at a face. If there is no social smile by about 8–10 weeks, mention it at a visit — early is not always late, but it is worth tracking.
How do I get through the witching hour without losing it?
Lower the bar: feeds, darkness, motion, and a partner swap. Put the baby in a safe bassinet and step outside if you are at your limit. Peak crying is developmental. If you ever feel you might shake the baby, put them down and get help immediately.
Keep exploring
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