Shush-Pat Settling Step by Step Place your baby on baby's side in the bassinet or cot, and hold your baby on a very slight tilt forwards. With your other hand, pat your baby in the centre of the back in a steady, rhythmic motion.
Here's how it works: The first night, you put your baby down in the cot, drowsy but still awake, and sit in a chair next to the cot, holding her hand, stroking or patting if you need to, until she falls asleep. If she gets distressed, do whatever you need to do to calm her down, then start again.
The Baby Shusher catches baby's attention and because baby can only do one thing at time, the crying stops and babies calming reflex is triggered by the loud rhythmic shushing. Did you know that we are all born with this calming reflex?
It's thought by some that gentle, repetitive tapping on the bum is said to mimic the sound and rhythm of a mother's heart beat in the womb. If your baby was head-down-bum-up like most are in the third trimester, their wee bottom's are what was closest to Mom's heart in utero.
Patting babies reminds them of the heartbeats sound which they used to listen while they were in the womb for 9 months. It also gives them the much needed human touch which reassures them that they are well protected in this new world which they have entered. Babies are special, and they should be treated as such.
I have found settling your baby to sleep this way by patting and side is the most effective, to begin with from a young age. The main reason why this gentle, repetitive tapping that carried out on the baby's bum is because it is mimic the rhythm and sounds of their mother's heartbeat while they were in the womb.
The five S's for baby sleep. Pediatrician Harvey Karp, author of The Happiest Baby on the Block, says his "five S's" method can calm fussy newborns and help them sleep. The five S's are swaddling, side or stomach position, shushing, swinging, and sucking.
Side or Stomach Position
However, many babies prefer to be held on their side or on their stomach over your shoulder while they are awake. When your baby is fussy during the daytime try holding them on their side or stomach for the happiest baby approach.
The starfish sleeping position is one in which the sleeper lies on their back, arms overhead, so their body resembles a starfish.
Fading method
Fading is considered a gentle sleep training method.
During an ideal night's sleep, your body has enough time to go through four to five 90-minute cycles that sample different phases of sleep as the night progresses. In general, each cycle moves sequentially through each of the 4 stages of sleep: wake, light sleep, deep sleep, REM, and repeat.
Second Night Syndrome
Generally occurs about 24 hours after birth for almost every baby. Your baby will want to be on the breast constantly but quickly fall asleep. If you put him down, he will probably wake up. If you put him back to breast, he will feed for a short time and fall asleep.
The Period of PURPLE Crying® is the phrase used to describe the time in a baby's life when they cry more than any other time.
The Bottom Line
As long as your baby's essential needs are being met and you actively engage them in a loving way, how much or how little you hold them is entirely up to you. If you want to hold them, do. If you want to put them down, even if they cry, that's fine as well.
According to research published in the Journal of Pediatrics, Danish, German and Japanese babies cry the least, while British, Canadian and Italian babies cry the most. “I'm not surprised,” Danish parenting expert and co-author of The Danish Way of Parenting Jessica Joelle Alexander tells me.
Babies often prefer their primary caregiver
Most babies naturally prefer the parent who's their primary caregiver, the person they count on to meet their most basic and essential needs. This is especially true after 6 months when separation anxiety starts to set in.
Many experts recommend the 2-3-4 approach for babies needing two daytime snoozes. It works by gradually increasing the time between naps throughout the day: two hours of staying awake before the first nap, three hours between the first and second naps, and four hours before bedtime.
If your child wakes up in the middle of the night, repeat this process to help them go back to sleep. On the second day, allow your baby to cry for five minutes initially, then 10 minutes, and then 12 minutes. On the third day, begin at 10 minutes, then 12 minutes, and then 15 minutes.
Four is the magic number
In a study conducted by Dr Bronwyn Harman from the Edith Cowan University in Perth, it was found that parents with four or more children are the happiest parents.
There's no need to feel rude if you say it to your baby, because your newborn will find it comforting! Repetitive “shh, shh” sounds mimic the sounds your baby heard when he was inside your body. It mimics the sound of blood whooshing through your blood vessels. Experienced moms seem to really have this down.
Most babies will outgrow the need to be burped by 4-6 months of age. You can often tell that a baby needs to be burped if he or she is squirmy or pulling away while being fed.
Most people find the first six to eight weeks to be the hardest with a new baby. And, although people may not openly discuss many of the challenges in these early weeks of parenthood (if at all), there are a number of common hurdles you may face at this time.