There’s a new way to get a crying baby to sleep (and it's so easy!)
. “But we need science to understand a baby’s behaviors, because they’re much more complex and diverse than we thought.”To assess this, researchers observed 21 babies between the ages of one and seven months, comparing their behaviour, movements and heart rates in response to four different scenarios: being held by their seated moms, being held by their walking moms, being placed in a “mobile cot” and being laid in a crib alone.
The next step was getting them into the crib. Sleeping babies were much more likely to stay asleep if their mother held them, while seated, for five to eight minutes before putting them down. In cases where they were put down before the five minutes were up, the babies were more likely to wake up and and cry. Researchers also tried different positions and speeds for laying the baby down, but found that only the seated hold had any significant effect.
Based on these observations, the researchers concluded, “infant transport robustly reduces cry and potentially promotes sleep.”It’s important to note that the study, like all studies, has its limitations, having observed only babies and their moms — no dads or other non-maternal caregivers were involved. Furthermore, the suggested