How to get your baby to sleep when he cries?
This is the daily challenge of many parents.
The following could (perhaps) make it easier.
In a study published September 13 in the journal
Current Biology
, Japanese scientists from the "Kiren center for brain science", claim to have found a method to immediately calm, they assure, the infant's tears and then allow him to fall asleep. .
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A slow heartbeat
The researchers justify their work by making this observation: "20 to 30% of infants cry excessively and have sleep disorders, creating parental stress, and can even, in rare cases, be the cause of child abuse. 'child".
To find a solution, they based themselves on previous research on so-called “nidicole” mammals, whose young are born unable to manage themselves (monkeys, dogs, mice, and humans).
They also observed 21 babies aged 0-7 months and their mothers.
The researchers then compared four techniques for falling asleep on crying children: the child carried by the mother while walking, carried when she is seated, pushed in a moving stroller, or lying in a motionless bed.
According to scientists, letting the baby cry or rocking it in a static position are not the right solutions.
Instead, they recommend walking with the infant for 5 minutes, then sitting for 5 to 8 minutes holding him against you, then putting him back in his crib.
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Walk 5 minutes and sit 5-8 minutes before putting baby to bed Current Biology
Carried by a moving person, the baby will then “set his heart rate on that of the person holding him, which will rock him”.
It is a "transport response" of the child, an "innate reaction present in many mammals", describe the scientists.
The walk must be done "on a flat and clear passage, without sudden turns", they specify.
The sitting position, essential
The few minutes in a seated position are essential.
Indeed, the scientists found that in a third of the babies in the study, skipping this stage caused a sudden awakening within 20 seconds of being put back in bed.
"The baby's sleep when he is put back to bed depends on how long he is dozing off before being put to bed", they justify.
If the study focused its analysis on twenty babies carried by their mothers, the authors emphasize that the method works for anyone caring for the child.
An experience to try tonight.
