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Crying Infant to Calm Infant - Why and How?
By Colleen Newman
Your baby’s only way to communicate is through crying. But, there are ways to tune into your baby and help him to
be calm and happy. The secret is as old as time.
When my daughter was born my toddler asked me a poignant question, “Why does the baby cry so much?” I thought
to myself, her crying was in no way comparable to his infant crying (he cried a lot!) but to someone with no
experience with babies even the little amount she did cry seemed like too much. I explained to my son that babies
cry because it is their way of talking, “It is how our baby tells us she is hungry, tired, lonely, cold or needs her diaper
changed.” At two years old, my son seemed satisfied with this answer.
The “crying” question is commonly asked by many of my clients and with new parents in general. A parent’s instinct
to nurture and protect their babies is so strong that they are not satisfied with a simple answer. Parent’s want to
know how to get their little ones ans their home peaceful once more.
More specifically, many new parents wonder "Why does my baby cry more in the evening and how can I help him be
less fussy?" Up until a few years ago Pediatricians would recommend that parents of colicky babies give gas drops,
sedatives, or to just “wait it out”. Now, thanks to Harvey Karp, M.D., help for crying babies and their families is just
hours away.
Speaking for all new parents, I asked these questions to Dr. Karp, author of The Happiest Baby on the Block Book
and DVD and creator of The Happiest Baby Certification Program, for which I am certified. Here is what he had to
say:
"Hi Colleen,
Re: Evening crying - there is no research explaining why babies cry more in the afternoon, but I believe it is related
to a combination of baby factors and environmental factors:
Environmental factors - if the home is too quiet (under stimulating - missing the rhythmic stimulation babies need) or
too chaotic (often at dinnertime homes get more noisy and crazy with kids yelling, dad coming home, etc)
Baby factors - babies naturally have temperaments that are more sensitive and/or passionate and/or who have poor
state control are more vulnerable...by the end of the day they just can't maintain state control any longer."
According to the Mayo Clinic, colic is a pattern of excessive crying with no medical or physical cause. Colic is defined
as “Predictable, recurring crying episodes. A colicky baby cries around the same time each day, usually in the late
afternoon or evening. Colic episodes may last anywhere from a few minutes to three hours or more on any given
day, although babies with colic are likely to cry as long as two to three hours several days a week. The crying
usually begins suddenly and for no clear reason.”
Babies can start exhibiting colicky characteristics as early as three weeks of age. Crying typically peaks between six
and eight weeks of age and then usually decreases around three to four months. To an outsider looking in, three or
four months does not seem like very long to endure these difficult times. To the parents who feel helpless and
frustrated, this time can be heartbreaking, stressful, and downright exhausting.
According to www.colichelp.com, colic “is believed to affect about 25% of babies who exhibit uncontrollable crying
over three hours a day and at least three days a week.” A baby’s actual pattern of crying may vary but parents who
have to deal with a consistently irritable and upset baby, for any length of time, would most likely be labeled “colicky”
by their pediatrician. In the United States alone there are approximately four million babies born every year. If,
according to statistics, one in four babies is diagnosed with colic, that means there are a million babies crying! Talk
about stressful!
In Dr. Karp’s book he explains that the “Missing Fourth Trimester” is the true basis for colic. He explains, “Just as
some harried moms crumble at the end of their toddler’s birthday parties, some young babies unravel after a full day’
s roller-coaster ride of activity. Without the fourth trimester to settle them down, these vulnerable infants bubble over
each evening like pots of hot pudding.”
The Happiest Baby Class was developed to teach tired, frustrated parents effective ways to soothe their crying
babies and help them to sleep longer. Karp explains that by recreating the womb like experience, the fourth
trimester, infants are soothed and calmed. Through extensive research Dr. Karp has found that by applying age old
techniques, in just the right way, can trigger a reflex that is innate in all new babies.
In his book, DVD, and class, parents learn techniques that instantly turn on their babies calming reflex. The results
are truly amazing!
In the past few decades parents have been told that babies need to learn independence and be able to learn ways
to put them self to sleep. Recent studies show that this is not at all the case. Babies who are held, talked to, and who
have parents who respond to their cues have higher IQ’s, and are overall healthier babies and children. According
to Christchurch School of Medicine in New Zealand, after an 18 year study, “the longer children had been breast-
fed, the higher they scored on such tests.”
The Happiest Baby on the Block Book/DVD and The “Happiest Baby” hands-on class give parents confidence as
they learn tools to help them become more confident and skilled parents. Parents learn techniques that are
necessary to help their babies adjust to life outside the womb. Even experienced parents, grandparents and infant
caregivers will find the skills taught in this class helpful.
Dr. Karp uses a variety of techniques including the 5 S’s; swaddling, side/stomach, shushing, swinging, and sucking
which triggers “The Calming Reflex”. His research suggests, among the other survival reflexes babies are born with;
rooting, sucking, a baby is also born with the calming reflex; a relaxed and tranquil state. With a little help from their
parents crying babies will become calm babies with ease. And that is an incredible gift!
For more information on Dr. Karp, The Happiest Baby on the Block or to find an educator near you go to:
www.thehappiestbaby.org.
By Colleen Newman
Your baby’s only way to communicate is through crying. But, there are ways to tune into your baby and help him to
be calm and happy. The secret is as old as time.
When my daughter was born my toddler asked me a poignant question, “Why does the baby cry so much?” I thought
to myself, her crying was in no way comparable to his infant crying (he cried a lot!) but to someone with no
experience with babies even the little amount she did cry seemed like too much. I explained to my son that babies
cry because it is their way of talking, “It is how our baby tells us she is hungry, tired, lonely, cold or needs her diaper
changed.” At two years old, my son seemed satisfied with this answer.
The “crying” question is commonly asked by many of my clients and with new parents in general. A parent’s instinct
to nurture and protect their babies is so strong that they are not satisfied with a simple answer. Parent’s want to
know how to get their little ones ans their home peaceful once more.
More specifically, many new parents wonder "Why does my baby cry more in the evening and how can I help him be
less fussy?" Up until a few years ago Pediatricians would recommend that parents of colicky babies give gas drops,
sedatives, or to just “wait it out”. Now, thanks to Harvey Karp, M.D., help for crying babies and their families is just
hours away.
Speaking for all new parents, I asked these questions to Dr. Karp, author of The Happiest Baby on the Block Book
and DVD and creator of The Happiest Baby Certification Program, for which I am certified. Here is what he had to
say:
"Hi Colleen,
Re: Evening crying - there is no research explaining why babies cry more in the afternoon, but I believe it is related
to a combination of baby factors and environmental factors:
Environmental factors - if the home is too quiet (under stimulating - missing the rhythmic stimulation babies need) or
too chaotic (often at dinnertime homes get more noisy and crazy with kids yelling, dad coming home, etc)
Baby factors - babies naturally have temperaments that are more sensitive and/or passionate and/or who have poor
state control are more vulnerable...by the end of the day they just can't maintain state control any longer."
According to the Mayo Clinic, colic is a pattern of excessive crying with no medical or physical cause. Colic is defined
as “Predictable, recurring crying episodes. A colicky baby cries around the same time each day, usually in the late
afternoon or evening. Colic episodes may last anywhere from a few minutes to three hours or more on any given
day, although babies with colic are likely to cry as long as two to three hours several days a week. The crying
usually begins suddenly and for no clear reason.”
Babies can start exhibiting colicky characteristics as early as three weeks of age. Crying typically peaks between six
and eight weeks of age and then usually decreases around three to four months. To an outsider looking in, three or
four months does not seem like very long to endure these difficult times. To the parents who feel helpless and
frustrated, this time can be heartbreaking, stressful, and downright exhausting.
According to www.colichelp.com, colic “is believed to affect about 25% of babies who exhibit uncontrollable crying
over three hours a day and at least three days a week.” A baby’s actual pattern of crying may vary but parents who
have to deal with a consistently irritable and upset baby, for any length of time, would most likely be labeled “colicky”
by their pediatrician. In the United States alone there are approximately four million babies born every year. If,
according to statistics, one in four babies is diagnosed with colic, that means there are a million babies crying! Talk
about stressful!
In Dr. Karp’s book he explains that the “Missing Fourth Trimester” is the true basis for colic. He explains, “Just as
some harried moms crumble at the end of their toddler’s birthday parties, some young babies unravel after a full day’
s roller-coaster ride of activity. Without the fourth trimester to settle them down, these vulnerable infants bubble over
each evening like pots of hot pudding.”
The Happiest Baby Class was developed to teach tired, frustrated parents effective ways to soothe their crying
babies and help them to sleep longer. Karp explains that by recreating the womb like experience, the fourth
trimester, infants are soothed and calmed. Through extensive research Dr. Karp has found that by applying age old
techniques, in just the right way, can trigger a reflex that is innate in all new babies.
In his book, DVD, and class, parents learn techniques that instantly turn on their babies calming reflex. The results
are truly amazing!
In the past few decades parents have been told that babies need to learn independence and be able to learn ways
to put them self to sleep. Recent studies show that this is not at all the case. Babies who are held, talked to, and who
have parents who respond to their cues have higher IQ’s, and are overall healthier babies and children. According
to Christchurch School of Medicine in New Zealand, after an 18 year study, “the longer children had been breast-
fed, the higher they scored on such tests.”
The Happiest Baby on the Block Book/DVD and The “Happiest Baby” hands-on class give parents confidence as
they learn tools to help them become more confident and skilled parents. Parents learn techniques that are
necessary to help their babies adjust to life outside the womb. Even experienced parents, grandparents and infant
caregivers will find the skills taught in this class helpful.
Dr. Karp uses a variety of techniques including the 5 S’s; swaddling, side/stomach, shushing, swinging, and sucking
which triggers “The Calming Reflex”. His research suggests, among the other survival reflexes babies are born with;
rooting, sucking, a baby is also born with the calming reflex; a relaxed and tranquil state. With a little help from their
parents crying babies will become calm babies with ease. And that is an incredible gift!
For more information on Dr. Karp, The Happiest Baby on the Block or to find an educator near you go to:
www.thehappiestbaby.org.