Crying infants are not uncommon in the first few months of their birth, and every parent has to go through this phase when it's late at night and they're trying to comfort the baby but the baby keeps crying and they can't figure out how to put them to sleep. At first, it is extremely difficult for parents to calm the fussy newborn. When they finally stop crying, in no time, it starts all over again. Now a new study in Japan shows a simple, science-based technique to prevent the constant crying of infants and put them to sleep.
A recent study conducted in Japan suggests that walking is a good way to put an infant to sleep. It is better than constantly comforting an infant to sleep. The probability that a baby will fall asleep while being carried and walked for five minutes has been discovered to be significantly increased, according to research from the Riken Institute. However, they advise waiting another five to eight minutes before putting the infant to bed. This will reduce the likelihood that they will wake up again.
On Wednesday, a study was published in the journal Current Biology. In the study, a scientist involved named Kumi Kuroda said, "I have raised four children," in a video statement. "Infant physiology is unexpectedly complex and our intuition is very limited. That is why we need science."
The scientists used electrocardiograms and video cameras to compare changes in the infant heart rates and behaviours as 21 mothers performed four different activities: carrying the infant and walking, holding them while seated, placing the baby in a cot; and pushing a baby stroller. The babies involved in the study were aged up to seven months. Then the heart rate data was matched with the infant's behaviours, such as whether they were sleeping, awake, or crying.
Carrying and walking was found to be the most efficient way for stopping the crying, with all of the babies quieting down and 45.5% falling asleep within five minutes. Also, 18.2% of the infants were awake after they stopped crying but fell asleep while being carried by their mothers while seated during the subsequent minute. Researchers claim, this indicates that the babies' first weak sleep settles down after a few minutes.
Walking for five minutes lowered the babies' heartbeats and facilitated sleep, but only for crying babies, according to the study.
It also states that babies become most aware when they have drifted away from their mother's body rather than when their back touches the bed. Contrary to popular belief, newborns are not alerted by a switch in their back. According to the study, the switch may actually be located in the baby's tummy, which is in contact with the mother.
The study is still in its exploratory stages, and further work with a bigger participant pool is required, the researchers admitted.
The lead author of the study, Nami Ohmura, said, "The method we suggest is cost-free and within the range of normal parenting, so that parents can try it anytime." She added, "We are now working to develop a baby-tech wearable device that can provide feedback on the infant’s physiological state in a real-time manner to reduce parental stress from infant crying and sleep problems."
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