It’s the age old question that pretty much every parent has desperately googled at some point. There’s so much contrasting advice - cuddle them, let them cry it out, co-sleep, put them in the pram, give them a dummy, feed them, put them in a bouncer, try a Moses basket, maybe they’re too cold/warm… But finally here is a scientifically proven method which *should* help your baby stop crying and go to sleep!
- Walk around holding your baby for 5 minutes.
- Sit holding your baby for 5-8 minutes.
- Put your baby down in a cot or Moses basket.
The research was published in Current Biology and looked at 21 crying infants (newborn to 7 months old). Holding and importantly carrying your baby around was shown to decrease their heart rate and calm them down, promoting sleep if the baby was already crying. As any parent will know, putting your sleeping baby down is often when they wake up, but this study found that this wasn’t so much due to the manner in which they’re laid down, but how long they were asleep beforehand, which is why the timings above were recommended.
Importantly the study pointed out that this method wouldn’t solve any sleep problems long-term, so this may not solve all your problems. Read our blog One mum's struggle with sleep training if this is something you're trying at the moment.
Good luck!
