It is not enough for the mother to simply hold the crying baby in her arms and be seated herself from the beginning, or even standing but still, nor to constantly leave the baby in the crib or in its motionless cradle and try to lull it there.
Most new parents often face the unpleasant experience, the baby them to cry excessively and refuse to sleep – keeping them awake as well. According to a new Japanese study, best way to calm down a baby who cries persistently, is to hold it and take it for a short walk at first for five minutes, then sit and continue to hold it for another eight minutes.
It is not enough for the mother to simply hold the crying baby in her arms and be seated herself from the beginning, or even standing but still, nor to constantly leave the baby in the crib or in its motionless cradle and try to lull it there. It is important that the baby feels that his mother is carrying him.
The researchers suggest that parents, if they have a baby who cries a lot at night, walk them around the house for five minutes and then hold them for another five to eight minutes while sitting, before putting them to sleep. Although only mothers participated in the study, the researchers estimate that the five-minute walk with the baby is similarly calming when the father or another person who cares for the baby does it.
The researchers, led by Dr. Kumi Karonda of the RIKEN Brain Science Center, who made the relevant publication in the biology journal “Current Biology”, compared with the help of EEG and video cameras, the reactions of 21 babies in different conditions, such as are held by their mothers who are walking, held but seated, left in a stationary cradle or in a rocking cradle.
Previously, scientists had studied what happens in the animal kingdom and noticed that when various animals (rodents, dogs, monkeys, etc.) pick up their babies by their mouths or hands and start walking, their babies become calmer and their heartbeats slow.
The new study found that the best response to crying is for the mother to walk while holding the baby. Within about 30 seconds, the baby’s heart rate drops, and in five minutes all the babies have relaxed and stopped crying, and about half have also fallen asleep. The second best option is for the baby to be in a gently rocking bassinet, again when the baby experiences some movement. Neither the hug while the mother is sitting, nor the motionless cradle, have an equally positive effect.
The new study showed that babies are extremely sensitive to the slightest movement of their mother. If e.g. the mother makes a turn as she walks or stops, immediately the baby’s heart picks up “turns”. Even when the baby has fallen asleep in her arms and the mother removes him from her to put him in his bed or in his crib, he shows signs of stress in his heart rate that quickens. As the researchers pointed out, this explains why almost all mothers have experienced the frustrating experience of the baby waking up again when it leaves her arms and is left alone. That’s why, according to Dr. Kuronda, it’s important to follow the five-minute walk with a static cuddle period of up to eight minutes.
“Many parents suffer from their baby crying at night. The issue is serious, especially for inexperienced parents, to the extent that it can cause them stress and even lead to them abusing their baby in a small number of cases,” he said. Dr. Kuronda. He clarified that the “trick” with the five-minute walk “helps sleep, but only crying babies.” It does not “catch” when the babies are already calm, but not asleep.
Why some babies often cry excessively and can’t sleep to begin with, while others are much quieter and fall asleep easily, is another hard-to-explain question that the new study didn’t address.
RES-EMP
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
