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First off, make sure the baby isn’t hungry, wet, or uncomfortable. If the problem is not one of these things, you can move on to trying one of the following techniques. According to Harvey Karp, there are 5 S’s to soothing an upset baby: Swaddle, Side/Stomach Position, Shush, Swing and Suck. Start with swaddle and work your way down the list, adding each new one to the old. Over time, you will see what your baby likes and doesn’t like. Not every baby is the same so test things out and stick with what works.
Swaddle:
Wrap baby nice and tight in a baby wrap or small thin blanket. Make sure baby’s arms are at their sides and make sure that the wrap is nice and snug. This creates a sensation similar to being in the womb so they find it comforting and safe. It also prevents them from startling themselves with their own involuntary movements (flailing arms and legs). Don’t know how to swaddle? No problem, here is a video.
Side/Stomach Position:
Place baby on their side or stomach in your arms. They find this position very comforting. To reduce the risk of SIDS, please NEVER lay your baby down to sleep on their side or stomach. You can put them in this position to soothe, but if they fall asleep, move them to their back.
Shush:
Baby’s are used to a very noisy environment since the blood rushing in the womb is equivalent to the sound of a vacuum for them. They find consistent white noises very comforting as it reminds them of the womb. Place your lips close to baby’s ear and Shush loudly in their ear (like you are very angry at a loud movie theater talker and are trying to quiet them by loudly saying SHHHHHH). Try to match baby’s volume with your shushing; as they quiet down, you can too.
Swing:
The swing is more like a jiggle than an actual swinging motion. Swinging is great for calm babies, but upset babies tend to prefer the jiggle. Think of jiggling a plate of jello: you want to shift left and right by about an inch at a fast enough rate to jiggle but not break the jello. You NEVER want to shake a baby. This should be a gentle jiggle that emulates the jiggling baby experiences in utero when mom would walk around. Make sure to support baby’s head so it doesn’t shake or flop around.
Suck:
Give your baby a pacifier or finger to suck on. They have a natural instinct to suck and find it very soothing, even when they are not hungry.
