How to soothe and calm your baby

Now that we have some knowledge of babies' language of crying (see my previous post) , what can we do to soothe our baby?  If we have tried everything else e.g. feeding the baby, burping the baby, and nothing seems to work….. how do we calm our baby and stop our baby from crying?

I watched this amazing DVD last night and had to share it with you.
The Happiest Baby on the Block - The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Baby Sleep Longer (DVD)

Using these techniques, instantly and magically, the baby suddenly stops crying and somehow just calms down and rests in your arms peacefully.  It what the author (Dr Harvey Karp, a pediatrician), calls a reflex reaction.

The idea behind it all is that a baby has been in the womb for 9 months and suddenly, after birth, is deprived of all that it is used to in the womb.  The first 3 months is essentially like the ‘4^th trimester’ and if you can help to recreate the environment in the womb, it will help the baby settle outside of  Mom’s body. After the 4th trimester, the baby would have gotten used to life outside of Mom and these techniques can be reduced and removed.

The main secret lies in the 5 S’s:

1.      Swaddling - Tight swaddling provides the continuous touching and support the fetus experienced while still in Mom's womb.

2.      Side/stomach position - You place your baby, while holding her, either on her left side to assist in digestion, or on her stomach to provide reassuring support. Once your baby is happily asleep, you can safely put her in her crib, on her back.  These holding positions look ‘different’ from the ways people normally hold their babies but it works! 

3.      Shushing Sounds - These sounds imitate the continual whooshing sound made by the blood flowing through arteries near the womb. This white noise can be in the form of a vacuum cleaner, a hair dryer, a fan and so on. The good news is that you can easily save the motors on your household appliances and get a white noise CD which can be played over and over again with no worries.

4.      Swinging (Jiggling) - Newborns are used to the swinging motions that were present when they were still in Mom's womb. Every step mom took, every movement caused a swinging motion for your baby. After your baby is born, this calming motion, which was so comforting and familiar, is abruptly taken away. Your baby misses the motion and has a difficult time getting used to it not being there.

5.      Sucking - "Sucking has its effects deep within the nervous system," notes Karp, "and triggers the calming reflex and releases natural chemicals within the brain." This "S" can be accomplished with breast, bottle, pacifier or even a finger.

Some babies need all 5 techniques but some only need a couple.  Try them and see what works for your baby. 

After watching the DVD, my husband and I were amazed and impressed with the effect the 5 S’s had on crying babies.  We now feel empowered, like we were given some privileged knowledge and skills to handle our crying babies when they arrive.  

I haven’t read the book but I do recommend the DVD as you get to see the actual effects on the babies and also watch Dr Karp demonstrate the 5 S’s.  Each step sound easy but seeing them done properly, in conjunction with each other, is essential.

Every new parent needs to watch this!  You won't regret it!  

The Happiest Baby on the Block - The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Baby Sleep Longer (DVD)