What to Do If the 5 S's Are Not Calming Cries

Many babies need 2 or more of the 5S’s to settle a big upset. Mums from the !Kung culture in Africa use a mix of tight holding, rocking, nursing and repeating, “Uhn-uhn, uhn, uhn,” over and over. In Tanzania, mums soothe crying by cuddling their babies while pretending to grind corn (vigorously bending and straightening and humming a rough noise). And in the UK, parents drive around their neighbourhoods – hitting every pothole and speed bump they can find – soothing their baby’s upset with the loud rumble of the motor and lots of jiggly jolts.

Of course, when your baby fusses you should first check to make sure he is not hungry, wet, or lonely. (Even if he just finished feeding, try offering a little more to eat.)

If feeding, holding, and skin-to-skin contact do not seem to be working, the 5 S’s usually do the trick. But if they do not help, here are some other things to consider:

• Does your baby have a little problem? Is your child getting too little milk, or perhaps too much? Is she struggling to make a poo? Fortunately, little problems like these are usually obvious and easy to resolve.
• Does your baby have a bigger problem? 5-10% of colicky babies have a medical cause of their crying, such as food intolerance, urinary infection, or stomach acid reflux.
• Are you doing the 5 S’s correctly? If the S’s do not work, 9 times out of 10 it is either because your frantic baby needs a couple more S’s or because you need to spiff up your technique a little.

If you have tried everything, and the fussing continues, you will want to talk to your healthcare provider.

Avvertenza: Le informazioni presenti sul nostro sito NON sono consigli medici per alcuna persona specifica o condizione. Sono solo intese come informazioni generali. Se avete domande o preoccupazioni mediche riguardo vostro figlio o voi stessi, si prega di contattare il vostro fornitore di assistenza sanitaria. Il latte materno è la migliore fonte di nutrizione per i neonati. È importante che, in preparazione e durante l'allattamento al seno, le madri seguano una dieta sana ed equilibrata. L'allattamento misto (seno e biberon) nelle prime settimane di vita può ridurre la produzione di latte materno e la decisione di non allattare al seno può essere difficile da invertire. Se decidete di utilizzare il latte artificiale per neonati, dovreste seguire attentamente le istruzioni.