The Five S strategy to calming baby colic
Given doctors don’t know what exactly causes colic in babies, it can be awfully difficult to treat. Fortunately, experts have found that creating an environment that imitates life in the womb can help calm the baby.
Here are five things you should try.
Shushing
Imitating womb-like sounds can help the baby adapt better and even sleep longer. Inside the womb, noises are louder than those that come from a vacuum cleaner. The recording of sound from a hairdryer or rain can work. Babies find such noise soothing since they are similar to what they used to hear in the womb.
Swaddling
When swaddling, wrap your child’s arms closely down against their sides, but leave their legs flexed and loose. This will leave some room for them to move if they need to.
Image courtesy: Pinterest
Swinging
A smooth and slow-motion helps keep babies calm. Therefore, holding the baby and then rocking them can stop a tantrum. In fact, babies that are held and rocked for longer periods do not cry as much as those who are not held and rocked for longer periods.
Sucking
During the first few months of life, babies have got a great urge to suck. Satisfying this sucking urge can help calm a distressed child. This is why pacifiers seem to do the trick for babies with colic.
Nevertheless, be warned that some breastfed babies, however, may refuse the pacifier.
Stomach/side-lying
When doing this, position the baby across your lap or forearm with their head resting on your hand. It becomes easier to calm a baby down when they are lying on their stomach or their side.
Also, ensure that you never let your baby sleep on their stomach or side since this upsurges the danger of sudden infant death syndrome.
Bottom line
Every baby is different. Some babies need shushing and swaddling, while others need swinging and may not calm down until you do so. Those who are extremely fussy might need you to try all these five strategies together to calm them down.
Featured Image by William Fortunato on Pexels
