We Tested Magic Baby Hold – and It (Mostly) Works
“Calm your child down in seconds,” reads one headline . “Stop crying EVERY time,” says another . Is it as easy as Dr. Robert Hamilton shows? I grabbed the nearest baby to test the Hold.
To calm the baby, you are encouraged to fold his arms over his chest and hold them in place with one hand. From there, support the baby in a face-down position with the other hand under his butt and “shake his little ass.” When Dr. Hamilton does this, the babies instantly stop crying. I tried it about 800 times during the evening (because this is how babies cry) with my six week old daughter Daphne. Indeed, she calmed down almost every time.
In truth, there are many ways to calm a crying baby. Anything that involves walking or bouncing is a good bet, and holding includes that movement. Facing down is a position that babies love, and some babies feel safe when swaddled – not unlike the way Dr. Hamilton immobilizes babies’ hands.
My Verdict: It’s not perfect, but it worked over 90% of the time. This is a really good way to push all the baby comfort buttons. However, there is a downside: keeping the baby away from the body is exhausting for your hands. Once she calmed down a bit, I found that I could squeeze her sideways to my chest, holding her in the same position, and she usually remained calm. (If you thought the Hold would calm your child for a long time, as if you could lay him down, HA HA HA. No. She will only remain calm as long as you hold her.)
Babies over three months old are too big for this technique, so if you have a newborn, try this technique now – while you still can!
Dr. Hamilton Demonstrates “Hold” – How to Calm a Crying Baby | YouTube via Digg
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