Book Description
“The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer”
If You Just Remember One Thing
Newborns arrive about three months early, so treat them as if they are still in the womb. Soothe crying by using ... More
Bullet Point Summary and Quotes
- Human newborns arrive roughly three months “early” compared with their developmental readiness (“the missing
fourth trimester”). Consequently, human babies are born far more helpless than most mammals.
- Our very large brains are the reason for this. If pregnancy lasted longer, the baby's head would be too big to pass through the birth canal.
- Most colic cases stem from this premature birth, not from medical issues.
- Because babies are physiologically premature, they crave a womb-like environment: steady nourishment, warmth, and constant soothing.
- Crying is an instinctive survival signal that secures caregiving for hunger, cold, discomfort, fear, etc.
- Responding to every cry does not spoil a baby. Withholding care can lead to breastfeeding difficulties and is correlated with higher risk of crib death (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome/SIDS).
- Babies possess an innate calming reflex that's activated in the last month of pregnancy. It keeps the baby
still enough to avoid dangerous positions. The reflex continues after birth and can be deliberately switched on to
soothe the baby. Triggering the calming reflex requires the 5 S's.
- The 5 S's are: Swaddling, Side/Stomach, Shhhh, Swinging, and Sucking
- Swaddling
- Wrap the baby snugly with arms straight at their sides. This simulates the womb. This isn't meant to calm directly, but to stop flailing and help them focus on the other S's.
- Side/Stomach
- Hold the baby on their side (rolled slightly towards the stomach) or stomach to calm them.
- Babies should sleep on their backs. This reduces SIDS risks.
- Shhhh
- Match or exceed the volume of the cries with a strong “shhhh” or nearby white-noise machine (1-2 ft from head) to replicate loud womb sounds.
- Swinging
- Use fast, tiny, jiggle-like motions (inches) while loosely supporting the head so it can wobble slightly. Wide, slow swings are too mild for an upset infant.
- Sucking
- Offer a pacifier once the baby is semi-calm. Experiment with shapes, and gently tug to encourage a firm, sustained latch.
- Use pacifiers only for the first six months or else babies will get too attached to them.
- "Massaged [premature] babies gained forty-seven percent more weight than expected and were able to go home almost a full week earlier than babies who didn't get massaged. … when the massaged babies were examined one year later, their IQ's were higher than the babies' who were handled routinely."
- Newborns log 14-18 hours of sleep per day but in tiny chunks (2-3 hr naps, waking every 2-4 hr). Half of that is REM.
- “By three months, your baby will still sleep fourteen to eighteen hours a day, but the awake time will join into longer periods of wakefulness, and sleeping may extend for up to six to eight hours.”
- Room-sharing (baby in a bassinet next to the parents' bed) is recommended for safety (reducing SIDS risk) and convenience. Bed-sharing is more dangerous.
- By four months, the "fourth trimester" ends, and babies are more developmentally ready. They show more physical control (like grasping) and social engagement (smiling, laughing), leading to better self-soothing, less crying, and a greater interest in exploring their world.
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