Let’s be honest when we say that having a newborn is not all rainbows and butterflies. Of course we all love our sweet squishy little miracles to death, but often times as parents we tend to get tired, overwhelmed and just plain frustrated when we don’t know exactly what our tiny little humans need. That is when the 5 S’s come in handy! Dr. Harvey Karp developed this technique and talks all about it in his book The Happiest Baby On The Block.

The 5 S’s are all equally important and something each new parent should consider as their bible when it comes to soothing their children.

The First S: Swaddling

A warm, wrapped up baby is the first step to a calming method. Swaddling is great to decrease fussing and increase sleep for a newborn.

The Second S: Side Lying

This method is not for a sleeping baby, but for a baby that just needs to mellow out. Holding a baby on its side, stomach or even over your shoulder can help calm the baby to slowly relax.

 

The Third S: Shushing

Want to increase your babies sleep? Try white noise. It is the best way to reenact what the baby might have heard in the womb. It works almost every time, and can even be a soothing noise for the parents! We love the apps “white noise” (a blue icon with a white noise meter across it) or “white noise baby” (the icon is a baby doing tummy time with a white background) from the iPhone App Store.

 

The Fourth S: Swinging

The swing method is great to create small movements to soothe the baby like bouncing up and down or moving side to side. Although, remember to keep your movements small and support the baby while rocking. I know it is a weird picture, but think of it like Jello swaying back and forth over and over again.

 

The Fifth S: Sucking

Think pacifier! Sucking is a great way for a baby to relax and just lean back and move into a state of tranquility. Sucking helps the baby focus and stay calm.

 

 

All of the 5 S’s help increase a babies mellow state of relaxation while simultaneously increasing their sleep. Sleep is very important for a baby, so keep in mind the 5 S’s when trying to soothe your baby back into a deep sleep, especially for those late night wake up calls.

You can read more information and find a link to Dr. Kelp’s book on his website: https://www.happiestbaby.com/blogs/blog/the-5-s-s-for-soothing-babies