One of the most instinctual things to do when a baby is crying is to move. We rock, sway, bounce, even pace back and forth to help soothe the baby. Even wonder why we do these things and why they work?
The main answer is that they are rhythmic movements, and rhythmic movements soothe our nervous system. Remember last week I reviewed how babies are co-regulators, not able to soothe their own nervous system or regulate their emotions on their own for years. Well, when we use rhythmic movements, our nervous system calms faster, and so does baby’s.
What rhythmic movements are best? Well, there is no best really. It’s what works in this moment with this dyad (parent and baby ecosystem). Babies that have a lot of gas tend to like movements that are up and down more than side to side. Frequently, these babies like being held while the parent bounces up and down on a yoga ball; thankfully, that is easier than walking the halls and trying to bounce baby up and down. If you do use a yoga ball, I recommend making sure your hips are higher than your knees, and also, if you can try using a carrier. It’s tough to hold onto a wiggly baby, plus bouncing on a ball. It’s much easier if baby is attached to you so you can use your hands as needed.
I love baby wearing in general, and when trying to soothe your baby with movement, having hands free is nice. Other ways to soothe with movement are things like a rocking chair, porch swing, hammock chair (if you attach a big spring to the top of the hammock chair you can bounce up and down like on the ball, it’s super fun I have 2 at home), or regular hammock. Using a device such as these are ways to help so that you can give your baby the movement they need without tiring yourself out.
At times I teach parents a baby movement called “blanket swing”. You lay baby in a large blanket (make sure the blanket doesn’t have any rips or holes for strength) and one adult takes one side and another adult takes the other. This is a way of making a “baby hammock,” if you will, a way to swing baby back and forth. You can also slowly roll baby from their right side, onto their back then to their left side slowly using this method.
You could even use a trampoline, either sitting or standing on it (this is another time that baby wearing will make it easier and a lot safer. Make sure that your joints don’t mind the trampoline before you spend hours bouncing a fussy baby!
There are a lot of creative ways to soothe a fussy baby and movement is a big piece. Have you used movement to soothe your baby? What works best for you?