This calming reflex is a neurological response that develops deep in a baby’s brain months before they’re born that’s basically nature’s “off switch” for fussing and “on switch” for sleep. I discovered that the rhythms babies experience inside the womb-the jiggling and the constant hum of noise, for example-trigger a reflex that keeps babies relaxed. Thanks to evolutionary changes, human babies are born about three months before they’re technically “ready.” In fact, they had to be born three months early because a baby’s developing brain and skull have gotten so big by the end of the third trimester that they can barely safely fit through the birth canal! Think about it: Newborn horses can run within an hour of birth.but our mushy little babies are completely helpless! A virtual fourth trimester, complete with womb sensations (soft touch, jiggly motion, snug holding, etc.) may be just what babies need to feel safe and calm.īabies have an innate calming reflex. We just had to adopt two new ideas:Īll babies are born three months early. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that we could be as successful as !Kung parents. In essence, they mimic the womb experience for months. Then in 1981 I learned about the !Kung San of the Kalahari Desert, whose mothers usually calm their fussy babies in under a minute! Their secret? The !Kung mothers hold their infants almost 24 hours a day, constantly feeding, rocking, and jiggling them. I began reading everything I could about this centuries-old medical puzzle. At the time, I was deeply curious about what medical doctors had not been able to figure out-the cause of colic (severe persistent crying seen among babies 1 to 4 months of age). Years ago, when I was working on the child abuse team at UCLA, I saw so many babies come in who were severely injured-even killed-for the simple offense of crying. Where the 5 S’s Come From: My ‘Aha!’ Moment on Calming Babies It also puts babies in danger when a wiped-out parent falls asleep with a baby in their arms, on an unsafe couch or a bed, which increases a baby’s risk for SIDS and infant suffocation. It chips away at your health, it shortens your fuse, slows your thinking, creates distance between you and your partner…and increases risk of postpartum depression in both parents. (Hello, witching hours!) No wonder parents get concerned, frustrated, and very, very tired.Įxhaustion triggered by persistent crying creates a huge stress in families. Typically, babies get increasingly irritable around sundown and that can continue for hours.
Why We Need the 5 S’s: Crying takes a toll on babies and parents
So, what exactly are the 5 S’s? And why are they so important? Glad you asked! Here’s everything you need to know about the 5 S’s for soothing babies. Today, thousands of educators across America and the world have been trained to teach the 5 S’s in hospitals, parenting clinics, military bases, and more. During my work as a practicing pediatrician, I discovered a technique I call the 5 S’s and it’s the key to calming babies and helping them sleep.
#Ocean noises for sleep how to#
So, learning how to soothe your little one’s crying is important for everyone! And…it’s not as tricky as you think.
Research has repeatedly shown that persistent infant crying-and the sleep deprivation that often goes hand-in-hand with those tears-can increase a new parent’s chances of postpartum depression (PPD). Even if you could do it, it could be detrimental. How else would we know if our helpless infants were cold, hungry, lonely, or in pain? Traditionally, parents have been encouraged to simply keep their chins up and wait until the baby grows out of it.
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