- A crying newborn is extremely distressing
and it becomes even more stressful for us as parents
if we cannot soothe them.
Now, all babies do go through a period of fussiness
at two weeks of age and this generally peaks
at around six to eight weeks of age
and resolves by three to four months of age.
But during this time, they are extremely difficult to soothe
and that can often make us feel like we are failing
as parents, because we should be able to soothe
that little one.
So in this video, I'm gonna share with you
four different carrying techniques
that you can do with your baby,
which is definitely going to help soothe them
and reduce those cries.
But before we cover what those carrying techniques are,
make sure you click on the free PDF document
in the description box below to get
the free developmental checklist
for your baby's first year of life.
If your little one is still crying and you've made sure
that they are not hungry, tired, uncomfortable, or sick,
you can try out one of these four positions
or all four positions and see which one
helps to soothe your little ones.
The very first position you wanna try
is called the flex and hold position.
Now this is when your little one is in your arms
and they're facing out and what you do
is you use one hand to support their legs.
So they're flex towards their body and the other hand
to support their hands so that those hands
are either close to or in their mouth.
And when you are supporting them in this position,
you move up and down in a vertical motion.
And you also start to shh, shh, shh with your little one.
Now, what this position does is it mimics the womb.
So we are containing our little ones and keeping their limbs
nice and close to their body.
We are also ensuring that they can actually suck
on their hands and sucking on their hands
is extremely calming for babies because it releases
a whole lot of hormones in their brain,
which helps to soothe.
We also know that white noise or that shh, shh,
shushing noise is actually calming the babies as well,
because it is similar to the sounds that they heard
when they were in the womb.
So when they're in the womb, they would have heard
lots of different noises, including the blood rushing
around the placenta and it is as loud as a vacuum cleaner.
So they do find noise and particularly white noise,
extremely calming.
We also know that babies like movement.
In fact, this was proven in a study,
which was completed in 2013,
where they monitor babies who were under six months of age.
And what they're monitoring is their heart rate,
their movements, and the intensity of their crying.
And they looked at what happened when the upset baby
was placed in the crib, when they were held by their mother
when she was sitting, and when they were held
by their mother, when she was walking around.
What they found is that when a baby was distressed
and the mom was walking around, their voluntary movements,
as well as their crying decreased,
as well as their rapid heart rate.
And this was more significant when the mom
was walking around compared to when the mom
was just sitting still.
So this shows that babies do prefer movement
and it is more calming.
The second soothing position you might wanna try out
with your little one is the method that was developed
by Dr. Harvy Karp, which is the five S's.
So this is when you firstly swaddle your baby.
So you help to mimic that womb by containing them.
Then you place them onto their side or stomach position.
Then you add in a little bit of swaying.
So we add in that movement,
which we know babies find calming.
And the shushing, which we know mimics the sounds
that they heard in the womb.
And when you're doing the shushing,
it's important to kind of match the level that your baby
is crying as well, so that they can actually hear it.
And then lastly, you add something that they can suck.
So that might be a pacifier, or it might be giving them
your finger, so a clean finger for them to suck.
And that will help soothe them and stop those tears.
The third position newborns tend to really enjoy
and find calming is when they are inside
a baby carrier or a baby wrap.
Now, when you are placing them in this,
what you wanna do is make sure that you are moving around
when you're using it.
So that might be walking around the room or moving
up and down in a vertical motion.
You don't wanna stay in still
because babies do prefer movement.
The other thing you wanna do is give your baby
something to suck.
So that might mean that you can position their hands.
So it's close to their mouth and they can independently
suck it when they're inside the baby carrier,
it might be giving them a pacifier or a dummy,
or it might be giving them your clean finger to suck on.
And the other thing you wanna add in,
if they're still distressed is that shh noise
or that white noise machine.
The football hold is also another position
you can try out with your unsettled baby.
Now, of course, when your little one is in this position,
you wanna add in that movement.
Don't stay still because we know movement
is calming for your little one.
You also wanna give them a dummy or something to suck
if they're still unsettled.
And you also wanna bring in that white noise.
So you either do the shushing really close to their ear,
remembering to match the level of their cry,
or you add some white noise to their environments.
Now, if your little one is going through
that unsettled period that typically happens
in the afternoons or evenings,
which is often referred to the period of purple crying,
then you might wanna check out this video
where I go through other techniques that you can use
in your day to try and get through this trying time.
Make sure you click on that free PDF document
in the description box below and I will see you next week
where I'll share more parenting tips and tricks.
(gentle music)