If you have been searching youtube on how to calm a crying baby in 15 seconds, you probably have seen the viral video posts of Dr. Robert Hamilton. He has amazing ways to make baby stop crying. Dr. Robert Hamilton is a pediatrician in Santa Monica, a city in California. Always surrounded with kids from work and family, he has developed a technique where parents have learned from him on how to calm a crying baby in 5 seconds and experienced great success at home. He was invited to english and chinese variety shows to demonstrate and share to more parents. Definitely a useful technique to learn for parents, confinement nanny or anyone who needs to take care of babies.
Technique
- Fold baby’s arms across the chest
- Secure the arms gently, supporting the chin
- Grasp diaper area
- Rock the baby at a 45 degree angle gently up and down
It is important to hold the baby at 45 degree angle as the baby tends to throw his head back and you will lose control of the baby. Generally the baby will quiet down after the technique is applied correctly. If the baby does not stop crying, it is usually either the baby is not feeling well or the baby is hungry. The technique is very helpful for 2 to 3 months baby. After that the baby is too heavy. It might be very difficult to hold the baby properly in the required position.
Why Does This Work?
Generally, the idea is to distract the baby and mimics the familiarity and coziness of mother’s womb. The magic touch is able to distract the baby and neurologically overwhelm them. If parents or babysitters are unable to execute the technique, there are other variations known as the 5 S’s (Swaddle, Side-stomach position, Shush, Swing, Suck).
Swaddle
Aids such as blanket, can be used to swaddle the baby if parent’s hand is unable to hold the baby’s arms in place. Swaddling is the first trick to calm the baby.
Side-stomach Position
Crying baby will quiet down after she is placed on the side or her stomach instead of being upright or laying on her back.
Shush
“Shhhh” is commonly used even on adults which we so much want noisy people to keep quiet especially in library or cinema. Baby is able to calm down after he or she hear the familiar “shush” sound of the blood flow in mother’s womb. Experts recommend white noise from radio or mp3 is a good way to mimic “shush” that is helpful for sleeping as well as calming crying.
Swing
Baby bop up and down in mother’s womb when mother is walking or up and down the stairs. Likewise, swinging the baby gently is able to imitate the familiarity.
Suck
This is why pacifier is used. Sucking helps the baby to relax easier.
Babies crying can be musical to parent’s ears. However, it can be very tiring for the parents at night or during wee hours if baby is not able to sleep and crying non-stop. Hopefully Dr. Robert Hamilton’s technique or the 5 S’s will be helpful to all lovely mothers and babysitters.