TikTok is blowing up with the five S’s – the easiest way to settle a baby

Expert Advice – 08 Mar 22 By Sanchia Pegley

If it's good enough for the 'happiest baby on the block'...

A wise person once said, your family is only as happy as your unhappiest child.

An unsettled baby can cause extreme stress for new parents as the crying rocks them to the core and can jangle nerves. A happy, settled baby makes it easier for parents to manage those early months when sleep deprivation is a very real experience for all.

As well as making Bub feel safe and secure, learning how to soothe an unhappy baby can work wonders for parents’ mental health and wellbeing. It’s worth considering these tips when you’re an expectant parent.

Based on baby settling tips in The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp, ‘the 5 Ss’ is going off on TikTok, and one of our favourites is cute baby Austin with his dad, Paul Greene Official (scroll down to see the cute video).

Canada-born, Los Angeles-based Paul Greene is an actor and musician whose cute and simple parenting TikToks go viral.

Posting his video of the five S’s, he captioned it:

A few more of the steps to a happy baby. Austin is 9 weeks old. Works till about 3 months. This is after cuddling & giving lots of love

Scroll down for the five S’s and Greene’s sweet video.

1. Swaddle

Swaddling is a simple technique using a square piece of fabric or light blanket. Shaped swaddles with Velcro fastenings and zips are also available and increasing in popularity. These do the same job a little more quickly and easily.

Whichever you choose, it’s important that you know how to swaddle your baby safely. There are two health concerns to be aware of when swaddling: overheating, and affecting the development of your baby’s hips by swaddling too tightly.

How to swaddle your baby ‘buritto’

Lay the wrap out flat. Place your baby on top of the wrap, with their shoulders level with the top of the material. Put your baby’s left arm down at their side, and their right arm away from their side.
Now bring the side of the cloth over your baby’s left arm and body. Rolling them over slightly, tuck the cloth smoothly under the right side of their body.
Fold the bottom of the blanket over their legs to their chest and tuck it in. Make sure they have room to move their legs and hips freely.
Bring the other side of the cloth over your baby’s right arm and body. Rolling their over slightly, tuck the cloth comfortably and smoothly under the left side of her body.

2. Side

Now you’ve got your little burrito bundled up, sit down and with your legs together, place your baby on your thighs, their feet towards your body.

Lie Bub on their side, with their head in your hands. It takes a little bit on manoeuvring when you start, but once you have done it a few times and your confidence builds, you’ll be able to get into position quickly and easily.

3. Shush

You could buy a shushing gadget that mimics the whooshing sounds of living in utero, or you can loudly “shush” bub yourself – it’s needs to be quite loud, as shown in the video below. Another option is to record a shushing noise on your phone so you can play it back when necessary.

4. Suck

While Baby is still safely snuggled on your lap, lying on their side, you can offer a clean finger or thumb to suck, or a dummy, if they need more soothing.