One doctor thinks he knows the secret to calming a crying baby. The technique is called "The Hold," and Dr. Robert Hamilton, a pediatrician for the past 30 years and a dad of six from Santa Monica, California, says it's "very helping in calming children and keeping them quiet."
A lot of parents must be experiencing success with his method, because a video of Dr. Hamilton demonstrating "The Hold" has gone viral online with almost 6.5 million views.
In the clip, the doctor comforts a little one who just got a shot. Before "The Hold," baby Ashton is screaming that kind of scream that makes a parent's blood run cold with fear, like, "Help! What do I do?!?" But after Dr. Hamilton folds the baby's arms across his own chest, supports his head, and then, holding Ashton by the bottom, gently bounces him up and down, the crying stops. Completely.
"Everything you do is very gentle, you don't want to do jerky motions ever," advises the doctor.
Which arm is tucked across the baby's chest first seems to matter; it's the right arm first, followed by the left that "promises" magical results. The angle at which the infant is held is key as well. At 45 degrees, the head and neck are properly supported and one has control over the baby's little body.
Here are four steps to replicating Dr. Hamilton's method:
- Fold the baby's arms across the chest
- Secure arms gently
- Grasp diaper area
- Rock at 45-degree angle
Now if this technique only worked on toddlers who were throwing temper tantrums…
Melissa Willets is a writer/blogger and a mom. Follow her on Twitter (@Spitupnsuburbs), where she chronicles her love of exercising and drinking coffee, but never simultaneously.
