The 5 S's for Soothing Babies

All babies cry—and that is a good thing. How else would we know if our helpless infants were cold, hungry, lonely, or in pain? Traditionally, mums and dads have just been encouraged to keep their chins up and wait until the baby grows out of it. But, that is easier said than done! So, what are the 5 S's and why are they so important?

Crying Takes a Toll on Babies AND Parents

Typically, babies get increasingly irritable around sundown and can continue for hours. No wonder, parents get concerned, frustrated and very, very tired.

Exhaustion triggered by persistent crying creates huge stress in families, including marital conflict, maternal and paternal depression, and obesity. It causes car crashes and other accidents—people make all kinds of poor decisions when stressed and overtired. It also puts babies in danger when a wiped-out parent falls asleep with a baby in his arms, on an unsafe couch or a bed, which increases the risks for SIDS and infant suffocation. And believe it or not, the national costs of complications of infant crying and parental exhaustion total well over $1 billion pounds a year!

My ‘Aha!’ Moment on Calming Babies

Most doctors say that colic (crying for more than 3 hours a day) is a mystery. That is what I used to say, too, until 1981 when I learned about the !Kung San of the Kalahari Desert, whose mothers usually calm their fussy babies in under a minute! The more I thought about it, the more I realised we could be as successful as !Kung parents, but only if we adopt 2 new ideas:

• All babies are born 3 months early. Newborn horses can run within an hour of birth but not our mushy little babies. A virtual 4th trimester of womb sensations (soft touch, jiggly motion, snug holding, etc.) may just be what they need.
  
• The rhythms experienced inside the womb trigger a reflex that keeps babies relaxed. This calming reflex is a virtual off-switch for crying and on-switch for sleep.
  

The !Kung mums are master baby calmers because they imitate the womb by carrying and rocking their babies 24/7...and feeding them 3 times an hour.

British and European parents have long turned to similar womb-mimicking tricks, whether they realised it or not, like going for car rides and turning on the vac to soothe their babies. 

The Basics of the 5 S’s Method for Soothing Babies

Smart parents around the world have invented all kinds of variations on the calming womb-like sensations I have dubbed the 5 S’s: Swaddle, Side-Stomach Position, Shush, Swing, and Suck.

1. The 1st S: Swaddle

Swaddling recreates the snug packaging inside the womb and is the cornerstone of calming. It decreases startling and increases sleep. And, wrapped babies respond faster to the other 4 S’s and stay soothed longer because their arms cannot wriggle about. To swaddle correctly, wrap arms snug—straight at the side—but let the hips be loose and flexed. Use a large square blanket, but do not overheat, cover your baby’s head, or allow unraveling. Note: Babies should not be swaddled all day, just during fussing and sleep.

2. The 2nd S: Side or Stomach Position

The back is the only safe position for sleeping, but it is the worst position for calming fussiness. This S can be activated by holding a baby on her side, on her stomach, or over your shoulder. You will see your baby become mellow.

3. The 3rd S: Shush

Contrary to myth, babies do not need total silence to sleep. In the womb, the sound of the blood flow is a shush louder than hoovering! But, not all white noise is created equal. Hissy fans and ocean sounds often fail because they lack the womb’s rumbly quality. The best way to imitate these magic sounds is white noise. Happiest Baby’s Mp3 has 6 specially engineered sounds to calm crying and boost sleep.

4. The 4th S: Swing

Life in the womb is very jiggly. (Imagine your baby bopping around inside your belly when you jaunt down the stairs!) While slow rocking is fine for keeping quiet babies calm, you need to use fast, tiny motions to soothe a crying infant mid-squawk. My patients call this movement the “Jell-O head jiggle.” To do it, always support the head/neck, keep your motions small; and move no more than 2.5 centimeters back and forth. (For the safety of your infant, never, ever shake your baby in anger or frustration.)

5. The 5th S: Suck

Sucking is “the icing on the cake” of calming. Many fussy babies relax into a deep tranquillity when they suck. Many babies calm easier with a dummy.

Complete guidance can be found in my Happiest Baby on the Block book and companion Streaming Video.

The 5 S’s Take PRACTICE to Perfect

The 5 S’s technique only works when done exactly right. The calming reflex is just like the knee reflex: Hit a couple centimeters too high or low, and you will get no response, but hit the knee exactly right and, presto! If your little one does not soothe with the S’s, watch the Happiest Baby Streaming Video again to get it down pat. Or, check with your paediatrician to make sure illness is not preventing calming.

How Do the 5 S’s Relate to Another Favourite S—Sleep?

The keys to good sleep are swaddling and white noise. In another "Aha!" moment, I realised technology could assist parents with their 4th-trimester duties. So Happiest Baby invented SNOO, an innovative baby cot based on the 5 S’s that helps calm babies and ease them into sleep. Parents especially love when it quickly settles babies for those 2am awakings!

Disclaimer: The information on our site is NOT medical advice for any specific person or condition. It is only meant as general information. If you have any medical questions and concerns about your child or yourself, please contact your health provider. Breastmilk is the best source of nutrition for babies. It is important that, in preparation for and during breastfeeding, mothers eat a healthy, balanced diet. Combined breast- and bottle-feeding in the first weeks of life may reduce the supply of a mother's breastmilk and reversing the decision not to breastfeed is difficult. If you do decide to use infant formula, you should follow instructions carefully.