Scientists say they’ve found the perfect way to soothe a crying baby

There’s fewer helpless feelings in parenthood, than the overwhelming emotions that arise when you just can’t seem to soothe and settle your little one when they are upset.

All of us develop an arsenal of tricks and techniques in our bid to get bubs settled and sleeping smoothly, but they’re not always guaranteed.

However, a new small study out of Japan has highlighted a very simple recipe that may be more effective than others. It’s a magic formula includes: five minutes of carrying and five to eight minutes of sitting before placing them in the cot.

Forget about trying to soothe a baby when sitting down

While sitting down might seem to make sense, it probably won’t work. Sitting still can often raise a baby’s heart rate, in turn making them even more fussy and upset.

The research from the RIKEN Centre for Brain Science in Japan found that parents are better off taking their crying baby for a walk in their arms, which should lower a baby’s heart rate and help them to fall asleep.

And you don’t need to be pacing the halls for hours, just five minutes should do the trick.

After just five minutes of walking around with infants who were already crying, nearly half the female participants included in the study found success in getting their children to sleep.

“Crying infants are calmed and inclined to sleep by a five-minute walk/hold, even in the daytime when the infants are normally awake,” the researchers explain.

Now you can sit down

The team also found a solution for transferring the now settled baby successfully into the cot for sleep, and now is the time to take a chair.

Participants in the study who sat with their sleeping child for another five to eight minutes after walking with them had the best success at getting their kids to stay asleep. Even after a subtle touch or a closing door!

“For secure holding, caregivers should attach the infant body snugly to their own body and support the infant’s head,” the authors suggest.

“Five-minute walking should be on a flat and clear passage and at a steady pace, preferably without abrupt stops or turns.”

If you want to make sure your baby really is out for the count, add another five minutes of sitting to reduce the chance of them waking when transferred to bed.

What is transport response?

“For many, we intuitively parent and listen to other people’s advice on parenting without testing the methods with rigorous science,” said Kumi Kuroda, corresponding author of the study.

“But we need science to understand a baby’s behaviours, because they’re much more complex and diverse than we thought”.

Other studies have shown that it’s not only human babies who are soothed when they are carried by their carer, a phenomenon known as the transport response.

For example, mice, dogs and monkeys will pick up their infants and start walking, causing the infant to become sleepy.

The researchers theorised that the transport response may also help to soothe human infants. And you can mimic it! For example, an experiment in the study found that when mothers rocked their child to sleep in a mobile cot, it had similar effects to walking while holding them.

While further research is needed, the team are hopeful that this method will help parents in the meantime.