We all love babies. But sometimes, a crying baby can be really annoying and can make many parents wonder if there is something they can do to calm their baby in an instant – like magic. If you’re one such parent who always had the question “How to calm a crying baby in 5 seconds?” lingering in your mind, read on:
To address this common but a complicated challenge of dealing with a crying baby, one Dr. Robert Hamilton developed a technique called “The Hold”.
This is a technique which he has been applying for the past several years now, and is a technique that has helped several hundreds of thousands of parents all over the world to effectively calm down their child.
How to Calm a Crying Baby in 5 Seconds? – Step-by-Step
Step 1: Pick up your baby such that his face is looking outwards (away from you)
Step 2: Fold his right arm across his chest
Step 3: Do the same with his left arm
Step 4: Gently secure both his arms together with one hand
Step 5: With your other hand (ideally your dominant hand), hold his bottom in such a way that it is fully and comfortably rested in the palm
Step 6: Gently rock him up and down and/or stir him to left and right.
When you use the 6 steps of “The Hold”, which takes just 5 seconds or even less, and you will find that it comforts your crying baby pretty well and calms him down almost instantly, no matter what the reason is when they wake up from sleep.
4 Things to Ensure While Performing “The Hold”
- Your hold should be such that you’re mostly using your palm and the fleshy surface of your fingers and not the tip of your fingers.
- Everything that you do, including the pace at which you do, should be very gentle and should not jerk and inconvenience your baby.
- The thumb and index finger of your hand that secures your baby’s arms should gently hold your baby’s chin and support his head to look up.
- Throughout the rocking and stirring movements, your baby should be leaning forward at 45 degree angle.
Note: As you hold your baby gently and go about “The Hold”, you may also choose to subtly talk or even sing to him as walk around your home.
Why Does “The Hold” Work on Babies?
When you perform and experience “The Hold” working well on your baby, you will find that there are three key things that together (among others, and not in any particular order) make the technique work well:
- The 45 degree leaning forward
- The legs suspended freely, and
- Rocking and stirring your baby’s bottom.
If at all you find that the technique isn’t working and isn’t calming your baby down, it could be only due to 2 reasons. May be he’s not feeling well or maybe he is hungry. Otherwise, the technique works almost always – no matter how badly he is crying.
You will find Dr. Robert Hamilton’s “The Hold” both helpful and effective, as this is a technique which is by far the best among all the baby holding positions to stop crying.
Conclusion
For all practical reasons, this technique can help you during your baby’s first four or five months of age. After five months, you may not be able to apply the technique, as your baby would’ve grown a little more and is probably too heavy to be held in “The Hold” position for long durations.
But you can always teach someone how to calm a crying baby in 5 seconds, especially an extended family member or a friend who just became a first-time parent. After all, it is always nice to share something good that you have experienced yourself.
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Disclaimer: The content in this page and across this website are for informational and educational purposes only. In case of any concerns about your child’s growth and development, please contact your professional child healthcare provider.
