A new system that involves the five S's — swaddling, side/stomach positioning in the parents' arms, shushing, swinging, and sucking — can calm most crying infants, Dr. Karp said. This activates the baby's calming reflex during the first three to four months of life by mimicking experiences in the uterus.
It just so happens that there is one bundle of tricks known as the “5 S's.” Pediatrician Harvey Karp pioneered this method when he brought together five techniques that mothers have often used and organized them into this easy mnemonic: swaddle, side-stomach position, shush, swing, and suck.
Pediatrician Harvey Karp, author of The Happiest Baby on the Block, says his "five S's" method can calm fussy newborns and help them sleep. The five S's are swaddling, side or stomach position, shushing, swinging, and sucking.
Harvey Karp's book, The Happiest Baby on the Block, summarizes five steps for effective soothing: swaddling, holding, making a shushing sound, gentle jiggling while supporting the head, and sucking. For a shortcut, here's a video. Here's how to swaddle a baby.
Responding to crying
But even if your crying baby isn't sick, hurt, uncomfortable or hungry, it's still important to comfort them. For example, you could try cuddling or rocking them, taking them for a walk, or giving them a baby massage.
PURPLE crying is a stage that some babies go through when they seem to cry for long periods of time and resist soothing. Your baby may find it hard to settle or calm down no matter what you do for them. The phrase PURPLE crying was coined by the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome.
Gently rub their back. If your baby goes to sleep, remember to always lay her down in her crib on her back. Turn on a calming sound. Sounds that remind babies of being inside the womb may be calming, such as a white noise device, the humming sound of a fan, or the recording of a heartbeat.
You start with letting your little one cry for just a few minutes before briefly checking on them. As the night goes on, you gradually increase those response times until your baby falls asleep independently. Your baby's intervals of crying should be no longer than 10 minutes.
If your baby cries for you, experts suggest that you let her cry for a short interval of between two minutes and 10 minutes, before going to comfort her. You can gently pat and reassure her while she's still in her cot or pick her up and put her down again.
Crying it out
It's OK to let your baby cry if the baby doesn't seem sick and you've tried everything to soothe your baby. You can try to leave your baby alone in a safe place, such as a crib, for about 10 to 15 minutes. Many babies need to cry before they can fall asleep.
The volume will reach 95 dBs, which is the same volume of inutero noises (similar to a loud vacuum cleaner). The Baby Shusher catches baby's attention and because baby can only do one thing at time, the crying stops and babies calming reflex is triggered by the loud rhythmic shushing.
Rocking. Hushing or using white noise. Swaddling with secure, comfortable swaddles like the Zen Swaddle and Zen One.
A reflex action involves following steps: Stimulus → Receptor organ → Afferent nerve fibre → Central Nervous system (spinal cord) → Efferent nerve fibre → Effector organ → Response. - Receptor organ: These are mainly the sense organs that senses the danger.
You should stop swaddling your baby when he starts attempting to roll over. Many babies start working on this move at about 2 months old. Swaddling once your baby can roll over may increase the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and suffocation.
Most babies will have a period of increased fussiness starting at around 2 weeks of age and usually peaking between 6-8 weeks of age. Although, this is a normal developmental stage for infants it can be very stressful for parents and caregivers.
The witching hour is a time when an otherwise content baby is extremely fussy. It typically occurs daily between 5:00 pm and 11:00 pm. It can last a few minutes to a couple of hours. For most babies, the witching hour starts to occur around 2-3 weeks and peaks at 6 weeks.
Contrary to popular myth, it's impossible for parents to hold or respond to a baby too much, child development experts say. Infants need constant attention to give them the foundation to grow emotionally, physically and intellectually.
Your newborn uses body language to show you when they want to connect with you and strengthen the bond between you. For example, your newborn might: smile at you or make eye contact. make little noises, like coos or laughs.
Neural Pathways Are Damaged. Distress can lead to the conditions for damage to the brain's synapses, if we then take into account the undeveloped brain of a baby this could potentially lead to an increased risk for these conditions.
Leaving an infant to 'cry it out' from birth up to 18 months does not adversely affect their behaviour development or attachment, researchers from the University of Warwick have found, they also discovered that those left to cry cried less and for a shorter duration at 18 months of age.