From sobs to smiles: New class provides tools for soothing the fretful baby

By ALLIE ROTH

Published on March 30, 2007

Amid the joy of welcoming a new baby, parenthood can also be a stressful time, especially when there appears to be no end or solution for a newborn's fussiness.

This spring, South Hadley family daycare provider Jamie Lynn Lewinski is offering a class through Amherst Leisure Services that aims to give new parents tools to soothe even the fussiest baby.

The methods she'll share are outlined in a book and DVD by Dr. Harvey Karp called "The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer" (Bantam Doubleday Dell, 2002).

Dr. Karp, a nationally known pediatrician and child development specialist is an associate professor of pediatrics at the UCLA School of Medicine, with a private practice in Santa Monica, California. "The Happiest Baby" is one of several books he has written on infants and toddlers, based on his 25 years of research.

The book and methods are based on what Karp calls the "Missing 4th Trimester," essentially the notion that babies are born three months too soon. Karp contends that the quick transition from womb to life on the outside is what creates fussy babies. In order to combat this discomfort, Karp writes about several childcare techniques that that can lead to a smoother transition.

Lewinski, who is a certified Family Child Care Provider and has been working with children and families for 13 years, learned about Dr. Karp's Happiest Baby system at one of his seminars and was amazed to see that fussy babies could be soothed in only a matter of seconds.

She mastered the methods and became certified to teach the system by taking Karp's certification course. She has taught the soothing methods of "The Happiest Baby on the Block" to individual households and now brings it to the community.

"There is nothing new about the teachings," Lewinski said. "What is new is the way in which they are combined."

According to Karp, the way to soothe fussy newborns is by simulating the conditions of the womb. The program is centered on what he calls "The Five S's," "The Calming Reflex," and "The Cuddle Cure."

"The Five S's" are swaddling, side/stomach positioning, shushing sounds, swinging and sucking. First up is "swaddling," a technique as old as babies, in which the baby is wrapped snugly in a blanket to simulate the warmth and pressure of the womb.

The second step relates to the startle reflex. When babies are placed on their back, their arms and legs automatically jerk out as if they were falling. During the first few months, Karp contends, this feeling is very strong and can upset a baby's sleep cycle. By placing babies on their sides or stomachs, the startle reflex is calmed and babies are able to sleep longer.

The third method is "shushing." In the womb, the baby becomes accustomed to sleeping through noises like the mother's heartbeat and the shifting of fluids. Once they leave the womb, they are no longer surrounded by these comforting sounds. Dr. Karp instructs parents to play white noise sounds while the baby is sleeping. This helps remind the baby of the sounds of the womb and makes the transition easier.

"Swinging" suggests that parents should rock their children back and forth as much as possible. Rocking imitates the constant movement experienced in the womb, comforting the baby.

The fifth soothing technique, "sucking," suggests that in the first couple of months, a baby's strong sucking reflex provides comfort for the baby. In order to soothe a fussy baby, parents should provide their newborns with something to suck on, whether a pacifier or the mother's breast.

"If parents are taught the right methods in the right order, the calming reflex will be triggered," Lewinski said.

And both baby and parents will reap the benefits. The research suggests the newborns will sleep one to two extra hours, and also will have longer periods of the "quiet alert stage." Lewinski said the results can contribute to the well-being of the parents and even lessen the severity of post-partum depression.

When she brought the methods to individual households and used the "Five S's" on the babies, she said parents were amazed to see their babies calming in only a matter of seconds. "When you do it, it looks like magic," she said. She said that by giving parents the tools to calm their children, it gives them a sense of pride and allows for more bonding time.

In the Leisure Services class, Lewinski will use video, audio, lecture, discussion and other materials to teach the methods to new parents, childcare providers, caregivers and grandparents.

At the beginning of the workshop, each parent will receive a packet of handouts to go with the lecture portion. Participants will practice the swaddling method using dolls. At the end of the course, parents will be able to take home a copy of "The Happiest Baby on the Block" DVD and the "Soothing Sounds" CD.

"Parents nowadays have less parenting experience but more education and are frustrated by their inability to take care of their children," she said. The program aims to alleviate these stresses by teaching parents simple methods that calm even the fussiest of babies."

Lewinski will teach "The Happiest Baby" class in two formats. A two-session class will be held April 2 and 9, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Amherst Regional Middle School. She will also teach the class in a single four-hour session on Saturday, May 5 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Bangs Community Center in Amherst. The fee for either format is $85. For more information or to sign up, call Amherst Leisure Services at (413) 259-3065.