Your Baby’s Calming Reflex

It’s sadly not uncommon for babies to cry inconsolably for long periods of time, and we usually attribute it to colic or the so-called witching hour. But what if there were a proven set of steps you could follow to calm your baby instantly and consistently? Dr. Harvey Karp tells us more. Check it out.

What we talked about:

• How did Dr. Karp discover this calming reflex?
• What are the five S’s?
• Do you have to do all 5? Do you have to do them in order?
• Why swaddle, and how to swaddle safely
• Figuring out how to tap into YOUR baby’s calming reflex
• The American Academy of Pediatrics’ sleep recommendations and the Snoo
• The Back-to-Sleep recommendation and flat-head syndrome
• Your baby’s temperament and determining his/her eat-sleep balance
• How sleep deprivation is similar to being drunk or impaired
• The difficulties of parenting without a village
• How the Snoo helps everyone get more sleep
• How the Snoo is not the same as a person
• SIDS and bedsharing
• Safer bedsharing
• How lack of sleep relates to postpartum depression

Related resources*:

• American Academy of Pediatrics Announces New Safe Sleep Recommendations to Protect Against SIDS, Sleep-Related Infant Deaths, From the AAP
• SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2016 Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment (Task Force On Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) from From the American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement
• Postpartum Depression and Poor Sleep Quality Occur Together, from the
  Center for Women’s Mental Health
• Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory
• Dr. Karp’s products, including The Happiest Baby on the Block (book) (video), The Happiest Toddler on the Block (book) (video), The Happiest Baby Guide to Great Sleep (book), and the SNOO Smart Sleeper
• My (Birthful) new baby essentials suggestions (hint: they include swaddlers and shushers): Click here to read

Related Birthful episodes:

• Effects of Sleep Deprivation
• Back-to-Work Sleep Considerations
• Understanding Flat-Head Syndrome
• Safer Bed Sharing
• Understanding & Calming Your Baby

Courtesy of Dr. Harvey Karp

About Dr. Harvey Karp

Dr. Harvey Karp is one of America’s leading pediatricians and child development experts. His celebrated books/videos, The Happiest Baby on the Block, The Happiest Toddler on the Block and The Happiest Baby Guide to Great Sleep have been translated into over 20 languages and have benefited millions of parents. Dr. Karp’s insights into child development (e.g. the Calming Reflex, the 5 S’s and Toddler-ese) have made him one of the world’s leading baby and sleep experts.

Dr. Karp is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the USC Keck School of Medicine and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He practiced pediatrics in Los Angeles for almost 30 years. Dr. Karp is also the founder and CEO of Happiest Baby, a smart-tech and parenting solutions company. He designed an award-winning, innovative baby bed– the SNOO Smart Sleeper. By improving infant sleep and reducing crying, Dr. Karp’s hope is to improve parent confidence and bonding to their child and to reduce the serious health sequelae of parental exhaustion and stress, including postpartum depression, child abuse, childhood obesity, infant sleep death, etc.

For over 20 years, Dr. Karp has been a tireless advocate and a national leader in the promotion of children’s rights to a healthy and safe environment. His work has directly led to state and national laws protecting children. Dr. Karp is a founding board member of Healthy Child Healthy World. He is currently a board member of EWG, whose mission is to protect our nation’s public health and the environment.

Learn more at happiestbaby.com