How to "Switch - off" Your Baby’s Crying With the 5 S’s

from "The Happiest Baby on the Block"
by Harvey Karp, MD ( www.thehappiestbaby.com )

The 5 S’s are great for soothing your baby during her fussy times. They trigger her calming reflex – the automatic off-switch for crying. As you do the 5 S’s, remember these important points:

• Calming your baby is like dancing… but you have to follow baby's lead.
• Do the 5S’s vigorously only lessening the intensity after baby begins to settle.
• The 5 S’s must be done exactly right for them to work.

Here’s a summary of the most important aspects of the 5 S’s that will help you become the "Best Baby Calmer on the Block"…

The 1^st S – Swaddling

Don’t worry if your baby’s first reaction to wrapping is to struggle against it. Swaddling may not instantly calm the fussiness but what it will do is restrain all that uncontrolled flailing so that your baby can pay attention to the next S’s you do which will switch the calming reflex on and guide your baby into sweet serenity!

One	Two	Three
Four	Five

The 2nd S – Side/Stomach

The more upset your baby is, the unhappier he or she will be on her back. Rolling your infant onto her side or stomach is the way to go. Just this simple trick can sometimes activate a baby’s calming reflex…within seconds.

SHHHhhhhhhh	SHHHhhhhhhh	ZZZzzzzzzzz

The 3^rd S – Shhhh

Shushing crying babies magically makes them feel at peace, like they were in the womb, but you’ve got to do it about as loud as your baby’s crying and close to her ear …or she won’t even notice it. Use this super-effective "S" to keep baby calm throughout this fussy period by enlisting the aid of a radio tuned to loud static, a tape recording of your hair drier or a white noise machine.

The 4^th S – Swinging

Like vigorous shushing, little jiggling movements can turn your baby from screams to sweet serenity in minutes…or less. As you carefully support your baby’s head and neck, move baby's upper body with quick but TINY movements, sort of like you’re shivering. Once entranced you can transfer baby's wrapped body into a swing for continual, hypnotic motion. (Make sure the strap is between your baby’s wrapped legs, the swing is fully reclined, and it’s set on the fastest speed.)

The 5^th S – Sucking

This last "S" usually works best after you have already lead your little one into calmness with the other "S’s". Offering your breast, finger or a pacifier will be the icing on the cake of soothing. You can teach your baby to keep the pacifier in by using "reverse-psychology" – the moment baby begins to suck on the pacifier, gently tug on it as if you’re going to take it out. Baby will suck it in harder and soon will soon learn to keep it in his or her mouth even when cooing.