Newborn Babies Can Cry A Lot and It May Seem Like Nothing Can Help Them
As a Certified Happiest Baby Educator, I talk a lot to parents about crying. Everyone has a vision of bringing their sweet little bundle of joy from the hospital. New car seat, new outfit, new stroller. It all sounds so peaceful and idyllic, doesn’t it? This little bundle of joy is going to do a lot of crying, however, and if parents aren’t prepared for how to handle that crying, it can feel like the crying never ends. Luckily, there are things parents can do to easily calm their baby when she is crying. Dr. Harvey Karp’s 5 S’s, which were described in his book, The Happiest Baby on the Block, are techniques that every parent should know. We teach these techniques in our Newborn Calming classes. What are they?
1. Swaddling This is the cornerstone of calming your baby because it helps to suppress the Moro Reflex that many babies have (when their arms thrust involuntarily up in the air). It focuses your baby so that the calming process can begin. A good swaddle blanket is necessary and it should be large and square. 44X44 is a great size. Rectangular receiving blankets do not work as well because they tend to be smaller and easier to undo. Babies will often cry as you are swaddling them and some parents think this means that they don’t like to be swaddled. Swaddling allows your baby to focus on the soothing that is going to occur next and reminds them of the tight, cozy space they had in the womb.
2. Side/Stomach Position These are positions that should only be used when you are holding your baby and NOT when you are putting them down to sleep. Babies should always be put down on their backs to sleep. Holding your baby on his side will help them to settle. It can be helpful if you hold your baby in a reverse breastfeeding hold (face away from your chest). Some dads do really well holding their babies in a football hold (resting on their forearm and tucked like a football player tucks a ball when going for a touchdown. Holding your baby with their stomach up against your shoulder can also help trigger that calming reflex.
3. Shushing (or other white noise) Using white noise emulates the constant noise your baby heard in the womb for 9 months. Did you know that the decibel ranges in the womb can reach up to 90dcb? That’s about as loud as a vacuum cleaner! Now imagine your baby, used to all of this noise, is now placed in a quiet space for almost 24 hours a day. It’s a huge shock to their system! Using loud shushing in the ear and other white noise can help take your baby back to the comfy place they were evicted from, and can actually help calm them down. Match the sound of the shushing to the level of of your baby’s cry and then taper off as they calm down. Be creative when looking for white noise options around the house.
4. Swinging Your baby didn’t stay stationary in the womb; he jostled and jiggled every time you took a step, exercised, and walked up stairs. Some babies need that motion to calm down. Swinging (in a swing, sling, carrier or bouncing on a ball) can put a baby’s nervous system at ease. Begin with small jiggles to get your baby’s attention and then start with a faster swinging motion. A slow swing will only serve to agitate your baby. You can slow it down once she has settled a bit. When jiggling your baby, always support the head and neck and use very small motions. Always make sure your baby is strapped into a swing and that it is placed in the flat position.
5. Sucking Once your baby is calm, sucking may be just the thing he needs. This can include breastfeeding, bottle feeding, sucking on fingers, or a pacifier. It can be very difficult to get a baby to suck if they aren’t hungry when they are extremely upset, so try the other S’s first before trying to get your child to suck.
The 5 S’s take practice, so please don’t be discouraged if they don’t work on the first try. If you implement these techniques, hopefully your baby will enter the 6th S– sweet sleep! If you’d like to learn more about The Happiest Baby on the Block techniques, to sign up for an upcoming class, or to schedule an in-home lesson, contact us.