For 1000's of years, moms and grandmas have intuitively known how to turn off their baby's crying. But the existence of a calming reflex was completely overlooked until I stumbled onto it in the mid-1990s while working with 100's of crying babies in my practice.

I was struck by the fact that rocking, shushing and all the well-known calming methods failed to work unless they were done exactly right. Similar to the knee reflex, triggered by a precise whack of a hammer, the calming reflex kicks in with very specific actions.

The soothing sensations in the womb (and close imitations out of the womb) trigger this reflex over and over again. This reset switch is truly a baby's (and parent's) best friend. Nature didn't create this blessed reflex to calm crying babies… I believe it evolved to soothe fussy fetuses!

Early in pregnancy, a fetus flips all around like an Olympic gymnast. But in the last 2 months, the womb gets tighter, and flipping creates a serious risk: your baby might end up in sideways or breech position. Until very recently, babies born breech often got stuck coming down the birth canal, usually causing the death of both the baby and the mother.

In fact, we all descend from Zen little fetuses who - during the last months of pregnancy – were almost hypnotized by the rhythmic sound and motion of the womb. It's possible that the very survival of our species was only possible because this ancient calming reflex kept our big-brained babies perfectly positioned head down as they waited to be born.

Now that you know what the calming reflex is, learn to trigger it with the 5S's method for soothing babies!

 

About Dr. Harvey Karp

Dr. Harvey Karp, one of America’s most trusted pediatricians, is the founder of Happiest Baby and the inventor of the groundbreaking SNOO Smart Sleeper. After years of treating patients in Los Angeles, Dr. Karp vaulted to global prominence with the release of the bestselling Happiest Baby on the Block and Happiest Toddler on the Block. His celebrated books and videos have since become standard pediatric practice, translated into more than 20 languages and have helped millions of parents. Dr. Karp’s landmark methods, including the 5 S’s for soothing babies, guide parents to understand and nurture their children and relieve stressful issues, like new-parent exhaustion, infant crying, and toddler tantrums.

View more posts tagged, soothing

Disclaimer: The information on our site is NOT medical advice for any specific person or condition. It is only meant as general information. If you have any medical questions and concerns about your child or yourself, please contact your health provider.