All babies cry – though some more than others, it’s a form of communication to capture your attention and express their needs. At times it can be easy to figure out what they want and sometimes it’s not.

 

Commonly, babies cry because they are:

• Hungry
• Tired
• Uncomfortable due to a dirty diaper
• Wanting a cuddle
• Wind
• Too hot or too cold
• Boredom
• Overstimulation

 

At first, you may find it difficult to interpret what your baby is trying to communicate, but as you spend more time listening and jump into a routine, you’ll become better at recognising and meeting your child’s need.

 

There might also be times when your baby tends to cry a lot and cannot be comforted. This can be hard for you, as it’s often the time when you’re most tired and least able to cope.

 

Soothing a Crying Baby

If you can’t seem to pinpoint the reason for your baby’s cry, the 5 S’s: Swaddle, Side-Stomach Position, Shush, Swing, and Suck might just be your answer.

 

Invented by American paediatrician Dr Harvey Karp, the 5 S’s are five easy steps you can take to calm and soothe even the fussiest of babies. These 5 steps help recreate the womb environment and activate your baby’s calming reflex.

 

 

1. Swaddle Your Baby

 

Babies love feeling snug and cosy. Wrapping your baby in a blanket or swaddle wrap recreates the feeling of being in the womb. Wrapped babies also respond faster to the other 4 S’s and stay soothed longer because their arms can’t wriggle around. It reduces the likelihood of babies waking themselves up with their Moro reflex —. startling at sudden sounds or movement and flailing their little arms.

 

 

2. Sucking

 

Sucking is one of the primal reflexes that your baby has. Many fussy babies relax into a deep tranquility when they suck. While you could let your baby suckle at your breast, other popular choices include your baby’s own thumb or pacifier.

 

Keep in mind that the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) generally recommends holding back a pacifier until you and your baby have a nice breastfeeding routine — at around 3 or 4 weeks of age.

 

 

3. Side or Stomach Position

 

While babies should sleep on their backs to decrease the risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), research shows that babies who sleep on their tummies sleep longer and don’t react as quickly to noise. So if your baby is fussy and can’t stop crying, hold your baby on their tummy or side; lay them over your shoulder; or lay them across your forearm with your hand supporting their head.

 

Once your baby has calmed down, remember to place them on their back for sleep time.

 

 

4. Shushing

 

Did you know that the womb created a whoosh noise as loud as a vacuum cleaner? Contrary to popular belief, babies don’t need total silence to sleep. So when you make a loud shhh sound, you get pretty close to the blended sounds that your baby is used to.

 

When you do so, put your mouth close to your baby’s ear so that the sound enters directly. Match the volume of your shushing to the volume of your baby’s cry. As they begin to settle, turn your shushing down.

 

 

5. Swinging

 

We’re sure you’ve seen mums pushing a baby’s stroller back and forth to calm a fussy baby in hopes that they’ll go to sleep. That’s right, babies love movement and it reminds them of the jiggly sensation while they were in the womb.

 

Try creating a rhythmic movement of any kind to calm your crying baby, such as a car ride, a stroll in the stroller or put them in a baby swing that replicates the natural motion of parents.

 

For example, the 4moms® mamaRoo® 4 Baby Swing and Seat bounces up and down and sways from side to side, just like parents do when comforting their babies. With five unique motions, and five speed options for a total of 25 different combinations, there will definitely be one that helps to soothe your baby!

 

The mamaRoo® 4 is so unique and advanced that in order to get the right motions, they’ve put sensor vests on parents to understand those motions and then replicated the bouncing and swaying in the mamaRoo® 4 to soothe and entertain better than traditional infant seats.

 

It also has four built-in sounds, and you can connect your smartphone via Bluetooth to play music and control the motions of the swing.

 

Other great features of the mamaRoo® 4 include:

• Breathable surface to maximize airflow to keep baby cool and comfortable.
• Adjustable seat recline to allow baby to lie back and relax or sit up and play.
• Includes interactive, reversible toy balls that include a rattle, mirror and crinkle ball
• MP3 compatible

 

 

The 5 S’s Takes PRACTICE

As you practice these five steps and learn what works best for your baby, you’ll be able to add your individual twist to them. But if you’re concerned that your baby’s crying can’t be put down to normal crankiness, remember to discuss your concerns with your paediatrician.

 

Reviews:

Love this seat! (Alexandra)

“I purchased this seat from 4moms website. There are five different speeds and five different motions. This works great at calming down my baby. You can also adjust the seat to make it more reclined or a more upright. The only thing that I don’t like about this is that it has an MP3 connect to play music. It’s a little outdated because not many people these days have a connection like that. I do however like that I can control the seat from my smart phone by adjusting the sound, speed or movement.”

 

So soothing!! (emilyaclarkk)

“Used this for the first time today and my newborn LOVES it! It’s so convenient to be able to control it from your phone! Highly recommend, worth every penny!”