The Five S's

The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp, M.D. (given to me by my friend Jaeme) has a few good tips in it on how to calm a fussy baby. I really don't agree with his theories but he does have a few good ideas on how to calm your baby down.

My favorite is called the Five S's. They really work, and I really don't know what I would've done sometimes without them. Here they are in the recommended order of action:

1. Swaddling: It helps your baby feel secure and like he's back in the womb again. Some babies resist swaddling, but that doesn't mean they don't want to be swaddled. (Babies cannot control their flailing arms)

2. Side/Stomach: This will eliminate that feeling of falling which causes panic in a baby.

3. Shhhing: The soothing sound. A loud, harsh shushing sound will recreate the sound of the blood rushing through the mother's veins and will be familiar to the baby. The louder the baby is crying the louder the shush needs to be, as the baby quiets, so the shushing should be quieter. This has worked miracles with our babies.

4. Swinging: Rythmic, monotonous, jiggly, swinging movements are what the baby is used to, having just come from the womb.

5. Sucking: After you have done the above four steps, the final step is to use something, like a pacifier or a finger, to encourage sucking. This creates relaxation within the baby's nervous system.